US Open Singles Draws: Will History Repeat Itself With Alcaraz, Swiatek?

US Open Arthur Ashe Stadium
US Open Arthur Ashe Stadium (photo: Michael Dickens)

WASHINGTON August 24, 2023 (by Michael Dickens)

The US Open men’s and women’s singles draws were revealed Thursday at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, N.Y. for the year’s final major (Aug. 28-Sept. 10). Unlike the other three majors, which have public reveals and live-streaming of the draws, the US Open posted each of the draws on their website at noon Eastern Time with little fanfare but much anticipation.

The men’s draw did not include four-time US Open champion Rafael Nadal, who has been sidelined by injury since bowing in the second round of the Australian Open, and the women’s draw was missing 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams, who has been absent for almost exactly a year, since losing in the third round of her 21st – and likely last – US Open. However, both the men’s and women’s draws included each of the reigning champions, Carlos Alcaraz of Spain and Iga Swiatek of Poland. Plus, on the women’s side, there’s the appearance of former major champions and future Hall of Famers Venus Williams of the United States and Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark. Both received wild cards into the 128-player field.

Unlike last year, when the biggest news concerning the fate of the 2022 US Open draw was whether it would include Novak Djokovic of Serbia – it didn’t – who waited until the last possible moment to withdraw due to not being able to travel to the U.S. because he was unvaccinated against Covid 19, this year, the World No. 2 is firmly anchored at the bottom of the men’s draw, seeded second behind top seed Alcaraz.

After missing two of last year’s four majors, Djokovic has been in the draw of all four Grand Slams this year. He enters this year’s US Open with 23 major crowns – three of them US Open titles – having surpassed Nadal, after winning the Australian Open and Roland Garros titles earlier this season. Djokovic has compiled a solid 38-5 win-loss record and won four titles this season. He’s ranked World No. 2 and is set to return to World No. 1 if he wins his first-round match against No. 85 Alexandre Muller of France. Djokovic is No. 2 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin.

Last year, only eight of the Top 10 were in the men’s draw. Fast forward to this year and all 10 of the current Top 10 are healthy and entered in the draw. Defending champion Alcaraz, 20, enters this year’s US Open as the No. 1 seed and will play No. 78 Dominik Koepfer of Germany, followed by the 36-year-old Djokovic. Rounding out the top eight seeds are: No. 3 Daniil Medvedev of Russia, the 2021 US Open champion; No. 4 Holger Rune of Denmark; No. 5 Casper Ruud of Norway, last year’s runner-up; No. 6 Jannik Sinner of Italy; No. 7 Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece; and No. 8 Andrey Rublev of Russia.

The men’s ninth through 16th seeds are: No. 9 Taylor Fritz of the U.S.; No. 10 Frances Tiafoe of the U.S.; No. 11 Karen Khachanov of Russia; No. 12 Alexander Zverev of Germany; No. 13 Alex de Minaur of Australia; No. 14 Tommy Paul of the U.S.; No. 15 Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada; and No. 16 Cameron Norrie of Great Britain.

The men’s 17th through 32nd seeds are: No. 17 Hubert Hurkacz of Poland; No. 18 Lorenzo Musetti of Italy; No. 19 Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria; No. 20 Francisco Cerundolo of Argentina; No. 21 Alejandro Davidovich Fokina of Spain; No. 22 Adrian Mannarino of France; No. 23 Nicolas Jarry of Chile; No. 24 Tallon Griekspooor of the Netherlands; No. 25 Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan; No. 26 Daniel Evans of Great Britain; No. 27 Borna Coric of Croatia; No. 28 Christopher Eubanks of the U.S.; No. 29 Ugo Humbert of France; No. 30 Tomas Martin Etcheverry of Argentina; No. 31 Sebastian Korda of the U.S.; No. 32 Laslo Djere of Serbia.

Among the most intriguing men’s first-round matches are:

Iga Swiatek to begin title defense against Rebecca Peterson

Women’s top seed Iga Swiatek, who earlier this season won her third French Open crown, opens defense of her US Open crown against No. 92 Rebecca Peterson of Sweden. The other top eight seeds include: No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus; No. 3 Jessica Pegula of the U.S.; No. 4 Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan; No. 5 Ons Jabeur of Tunisia, last year’s runner-up; No. 6 Coco Gauff of the U.S.; No. 7 Caroline Garcia of France; and No. 8 Maria Sakkari of Greece.

The women’s 9th through 16th seeds are: No. 9 Marketa Vondrousova, No. 10 Karolina Muchova, No. 11 Petra Kvitova, and No. 12 Barbora Krejcikova, all of the Czech Republic; No. 13 Daria Kasatkina of Russia; No. 14 Liudmila Samsonova of Russia; No. 15 Belinda Bencic of Switzerland; and No. 16 Veronika Kudermetova of Russia.

The women’s 17th through 32nd seeds are: No. 17 Madison Keys of the U.S.; No. 18 Victoria Azarenka of Belarus; No. 19 Beatriz Haddad Maia of Brazil; No. 20 Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia; No. 21 Donna Vekic of Croatia; No. 22 Ekaterina Alexandrova of Russia; No. 23 Zheng Qinwen of China; No. 24 Magna Linette of Poland; No. 25 Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic; No. 26 Elina Svitolina of Ukraine; No. 27 Anatasia Potapova of Russia; No. 28 Anhelina Kalinina of Ukraine; No. 29 Elisabetta Cocciaretto of Italy; No. 30 Sorana Cirstea of Romania; No. 31 Marie Bouzkova of the Czech Republic; No. 32 Elise Mertens of Belgium.

Among the most intriguing women’s first-round matches are:

If the top seeds advance

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