The US Open 2026 gets underway: surprises among the registered tennis players

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The US Open 2026 officially knows the initial composition of its singles draws. The USTA has published the Entry List taking into account this week's ATP and WTA rankings, confirming the players directly entering the main draw, those utilizing Protected Ranking, and the first alternates who could benefit from last-minute withdrawals before the final registration closure.

In general, the men's draw presents very few significant absences, while the women's draw leaves out several illustrious names and some uncertainties regarding the distribution of wildcards. Also noteworthy is the situation of several stars who, for now, would need to go through qualifying rounds if they don't receive a wildcard.

Men's draw: cutoff at 101st place and several stars awaiting invitations

The men's draw will be led by Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev, and Carlos Alcaraz, with nearly all the top players in the world listed on the Entry List. There are no particularly notable absences among the elite, with much attention focused on the lower part of the cutoff.

The only players who have used the Protected Ranking are Juncheng Shang, Thanasi Kokkinakis, and Filip Misolic, a circumstance that places the final cutoff at 101st place in the ATP ranking. Francisco Comesaña is the last player to qualify through ranking, while Misolic enters thanks to his Protected Ranking.

Even more interesting is to observe who has been left out. Stan Wawrinka, Grigor Dimitrov, Jack Draper, and Reilly Opelka are far from direct entry, and unless there is a last-minute cascade of withdrawals, they would have to compete in the qualifying rounds. Everything suggests that the organization will need to decide if any of them will receive a wildcard, considering that they all have sufficient sporting and media arguments to aspire to an invitation.

ATP Entry List – Main Draw

Top-10 ATP Alternates

1. Aleksandar Vukic
2. Benjamin Bonzi
3. Alexei Popyrin
4. Martin Damm
5. Wu Yibing
6. Eliot Spizzirri
7. Carlos Taberner (PR for the qualifying round)
8. Facundo Díaz Acosta
9. Hugo Gaston
10. Bu Yunchaokete

Women's Draw: Several Weighty Absences and Much Attention on Wild Cards

The women's draw presents many more novelties than the men's. Although the main figures of the circuit will be present in New York, the Entry List shows several remarkable absences, both due to injury and by decision of not registering, along with some very important names who, based on ranking, have not been able to directly access the main draw.

The two most outstanding absences for physical reasons are Victoria Mboko and Hailey Baptiste. Both are still recovering from long-term injuries and are ultimately not among the registered players, depriving the tournament of two players who had generated enormous expectation in recent months.

Five players have resorted to the Protected Ranking to secure a place in the main draw: Lois Boisson, Irina-Camelia Begu, Aoi Ito, Jil Teichmann and Mananchaya Sawangkaew. Thanks to this mechanism, they will be able to compete directly in Flushing Meadows despite not currently having the necessary ranking.

Several names that did not make it into the main draw also stand out. The champion of the 2020 Australian Open, Sofia Kenin, will have to wait for last-minute withdrawals or rely on a wildcard to avoid the qualifying rounds, just like Qinwen Zheng, another of the most striking absences on the list.

Another detail that has not gone unnoticed is that neither Serena Williams nor Venus Williams are registered on the Entry List. Their absence does not rule out a possible participation, as both could receive a wild card if the USTA deems it appropriate, but the fact that they have not initially signed up adds even more uncertainty about their plans for the final Grand Slam of the season.

As happens every year, the coming weeks will be decisive. The US Open usually sees numerous withdrawals before the final closure of the lists, so several alternates still have real chances to directly access the main draw.

WTA Main Draw Entry List (corrected)

Players with Protected Ranking

• Lois Boisson
• Irina-Camelia Begu
• Aoi Ito
• Jil Teichmann
• Mananchaya Sawangkaew

Top-10 alternates WTA

1. Ella Seidel
2. Elsa Jacquemot
3. Anna Blinkova
4. Darja Vidmanova
5. Nadia Podoroska
6. Julia Grabher
7. Sofia Kenin
8. Darja Semenistaja
9. Moyuka Uchijima
10. Polina Kudermetova

The distribution of wild cards will shape the next chapter

With the Entry List already published, attention now shifts to the upcoming weeks. Potential withdrawals during the North American tour will allow several alternates to enter, while the allocation of the wild cards promises to once again be a major point of interest.

In the men's draw, the situation of Stan Wawrinka, Grigor Dimitrov, Jack Draper, or Reilly Opelka suggests that one of them may receive a wildcard to avoid the qualifying rounds. On the women's side, all eyes are on the decision that the USTA will make regarding Serena Williams and Venus Williams, two legends who are not yet entered but still have a chance for a possible wildcard if they choose to compete at Flushing Meadows. Although there is still time until the draw, the Entry Lists already provide a very close snapshot of what will be the final Grand Slam of the 2026 season.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, El US Open 2026 echa a rodar: sorpresas en los tenistas inscritos