The consequences of Sinner's withdrawal for the seeds at the US Open
The absence of the Italian player significantly impacts what will happen in the US Open draw, with Alcaraz being the main beneficiary.
The week has been filled with important news. Today we learned that Jannik Sinner will not be at the US Open 2026, a news that contrasts with the happiness we all felt yesterday when we learned that Carlos Alcaraz will indeed be participating, and after two Grand Slam tournaments without him, he will be in New York after four months of injury. The Italian's absence will have a significant impact on the seedings, with Carlitos benefiting from the absence of his main rival.
Sinner was set to be the top seed of the tournament in Flushing Meadows. The Italian could have faced Alcaraz in the semifinals, as there was a 50% chance of this happening, given that Carlitos's nearly five-month absence had caused him to drop to third place in the Ranking. With Sinner not in the tournament, Alcaraz moves up one position and the Murcian will therefore be the second seed in the New York tournament.
This means that he would avoid Zverev until a potential final, if either of them reaches that stage. Sascha comes to the US Open having only won two matches in this North American hard-court swing, while we do not know at what level Alcaraz will return after his injury.
Sinner's withdrawal directly benefits Alcaraz, who will be the second seed at the US Open.
With Zverev as the top seed in the draw, Carlitos would only face Sascha in a hypothetical final.
The third seed will be Auger-Aliassime, and the fourth will be… pic.twitter.com/cBLuf6Jjke— José Morón (@jmgmoron) August 21, 2026
Besides Alcaraz, Djokovic could also benefit from Sinner's absence
Another who could benefit from the absence of the world number 1 is Novak Djokovic. The Serbian was initially set to be the fifth seed in the draw (pending to see what happens in Cincinnati). Without Sinner in the draw, Nole would rise to fourth place in the seeding order, thus avoiding Alcaraz and Zverev until at least the semifinals.
What is happening is that Fritz and Cobolli are still in the Cincinnati tournament and could claim that fourth place that Nole would have in terms of seeds for the US Open. If one or both reach the final, they will surpass Djokovic in the Ranking. Flavio needs a victory, currently being in the semifinals, while Taylor needs to win two matches, as he is set to play the quarterfinals tonight.
We will have to wait until the end of the Cincinnati tournament to see what the seeding order for the last Grand Slam of the season will be, but Sinner's absence has completely shaken up what will happen with the US Open draw, with Alcaraz as the main beneficiary.
This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Las consecuencias de la baja de Sinner de cara a los cabezas de serie del US Open