There’s no such thing as smooth traffic in New York, but Elena Rybakina’s draw for the US Open comes close.
Rybakina is guaranteed to overtake Aryna Sabalenka for the WTA’s No. 1 ranking if she reaches the semifinals at the last Grand Slam of 2026, and she got a favorable draw for the first week in New York.
Rybakina won’t face anyone in the top 70 in her first two matches. The first seed she could face is Maria Sakkari, the last of the tournament’s 32 seeds. Rybakina could face six-time major champion Iga Swiatek in the quarterfinals, but Rybakina would have confidence knowing she beat Swiatek in straight sets en route to the Australian Open title in January.
Who got the best and worst draws for the 2026 US Open?
Sabalenka is the two-time defending women’s champion at the US Open, which gets underway Aug. 30.
Worst draw for a top seed
Coco Gauff will have to work hard to build on the momentum she gained by winning the WTA 1000 event in Cincinnati earlier this month. Gauff, the 2023 US Open champion, got the toughest draw among the top women’s players.
Her second match is guaranteed to be against a former top-10 player – either Paula Badosa or Daria Kasatkina. Her round of 16 match could be against rising star and No. 14 seed Iva Jovic. She’d likely face a tough battle against No. 5 seed Mirra Andreeva or No. 10 seed Amanda Anisimova in the quarterfinals. All of that just to get to the semifinals!
Best opportunity for an unseeded player
World No. 41 Xinyu Wang is a logical pick for a surprise run. The top players in her section of the draw are No. 7 seed Karolina Muchova and No. 9 seed Elina Svitolina – good players, but not Grand Slam champions. Wang already has a solid performance at another hard-court major to her credit this year - she reached the round of 16 at the Australian Open.
Worst draw
Sloane Stephens, the 2017 US Open champion, is in the field as a wild card. Her first match is against Clara Tauson, who was ranked No. 12 at this time last year – and that could be her easiest opponent. If Stephens played seven matches in New York, six of them could be against players in the top 20, with five potential matches against players in the top 11.
Wild cards to watch
How often has this happened? Two former Grand Slam champions will meet in the first round – with both ranked outside the top 100. Seven-time major winner Venus Williams, age 46, will face 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin in the opening round after both got into the field as wild cards.
The winner won’t get long to celebrate. The likely second-round opponent is No. 3 seed Jessica Pegula.
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