The biggest names in tennis will look to see out 2025 in style and with a trophy in hand as the main round of the US Open gets under way on Sunday in New York.
The last Grand Slam of the year attracted extra eyeballs and controversy when it revamped the mixed doubles category this year, scheduling it a week earlier than the rest of the tournament and inviting top men’s and women’s singles players to team up for exhibition-style matches.
Here’s all you need to know about the US Open 2025:
When is US Open 2025 main round starting, and when are the finals?
The first round of men’s and women’s singles matches starts on Sunday, August 24.
The women’s singles final will be played at the Arthur Ashe Stadium on Saturday, September 6 and the men’s singles final will be played a day later.
Where is the US Open played?
The US edition of the Grand Slam tour is played on the hard courts of the USTA Billie Jean National Tennis Centre in Flushing Meadows, located in the Queens borough of New York City, New York.
Who are the favourites to win the US Open 2025?
An exciting mix of former champions and current top-ranked players count among the favourites to lift the title at the end of two weeks.
Jannik Sinner: The top-seeded and top-ranked player is also the defending champion, making him a clear favourite for his fifth Grand Slam title. Sinner has won two of this year’s three major’s titles, and while his injury-forced retirement in the final of the Cincinnati Open was a cause of concern, the Italian brushed it aside by taking part in a pre-tournament public practice session on Thursday.
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Carlos Alcaraz: The Spaniard’s first Grand Slam title came in New York, and he will aim to repeat his feat from 2022 for his second major title of 2025 and tie the year with his modern-day tennis rival Sinner. Alcaraz has a 54-6 win-loss record and comes to New York with the Cincinnati title in the bag, making the second seed a joint top favourite.
Taylor Fritz: The tall American has been knocking on the doors of Grand Slam finals for more than a year, and his closest shot came at his home major in 2024 when he lost to Sinner. The fourth seed will, once again, have the home crowd’s backing as he seeks his maiden major title on a surface he has previously thrived on.
Aryna Sabalenka: The defending champion has twice fallen at the last stretch of Grand Slams since winning the title in New York last September and will aim to finish the year with the high of a winner’s trophy to complement her top seeding. Sabalenka faces stiff competition from her contemporaries and her inability, in 2025, to cross the final hurdle, but will hope to overcome her blues on the blue courts of the US Open.
Coco Gauff: The French Open champion is an outright home favourite and will enjoy the unabashed support of the crowd at Flushing Meadows every time she steps on court. Besides her popularity, Gauff also has the pedigree to be counted among the favourites, having won the US Open in 2023 for her first major title, as well as her current ranking and seeding of three.
Iga Swiatek: The Polish player has been in scintillating form this year, having won Wimbledon and qualified for the mixed doubles final in New York on Wednesday. The second seed also won bronze at the 2024 Olympics and enters the tournament on the back of a hard-court title win in Cincinnati on Monday.
Who are the top seeds?
Men’s:
- Jannik Sinner
- Carlos Alcaraz
- Alexander Zverev
- Taylor Fritz
- Jack Draper
- Ben Shelton
- Novak Djokovic
- Alex de Minaur
- Karen Khachanov
- Lorenzo Musetti
Women’s:
- Aryna Sabalenka
- Iga Swiatek
- Coco Gauff
- Jessica Pegula
- Mirra Andreeva
- Madison Keys
- Jasmine Paolini
- Amanda Anisimova
- Elena Rybakina
- Emma Navarro
When are Alcaraz, Sinner, Sabalenka, Gauff and Djokovic playing their first game?
Women’s top seed and holder Sabalenka will begin her title defence at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Sunday, while her male counterpart Sinner will also be in action on the opening day.
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The rest of the top picks, including five-time former champion Novak Djokovic, 2022 winner Carlos Alcaraz and home favourite Gauff are all set to begin their campaigns on the same day.
Can there be Sinner vs Alcaraz and Sabalenka vs Gauff US Open finals?
Yes, as these players have been placed in opposite halves of the draws. Sinner or Alexander Zverev could also face Djokovic or Fritz in the final, should they make it all the way through.
In the women’s draw, Sabalenka faces the possibility of a final against Gauff or Swiatek, who are in the same half of the women’s singles draw.
It’s not the journey, it’s the destination.
Are Jannik and Aryna repeating as champions? 🏆 pic.twitter.com/vIdxRPJg49
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 21, 2025
What was the controversy surrounding the mixed doubles at the US Open?
The tournament’s organisers changed things up in the mixed doubles category by scheduling it a week prior to the main singles’ draw and doing away with the doubles’ team rankings in order to qualify for the draw. Instead, top singles players were encouraged to team up on the basis of their singles’ ranking and by ensuring the matches do not clash with the singles draw.
This, however, led to a backlash by top-ranked doubles teams, who missed out on playing for the title as their doubles rankings were not considered. The top-ranked pairing of Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori were handed a wildcard entry and ended up showing the singles stars how it is done by winning the mixed doubles title in a thrilling match against Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud.
How to buy tickets the US Open 2025?
Tickets are up for grabs on the tournament’s official website.
How much is the prize money for the US Open 2025?
The total prize money on offer will be $90m, while the men’s and women’s singles champions will receive $5m each.
How to follow and livestream the US Open 2025?
The tournament will be shown by local and terrestrial broadcasters, as well as digital streaming services around the globe.
Al Jazeera Sport will cover the men’s and women’s singles final via live text and photo commentary.