Five players to keep an eye on at this year’s U.S. Open held at Flushing Meadows.
Alexander Zverev
Currently ranked second in the world and seeded first at Flushing Meadows due to Jannik Sinner’s withdrawal from the tournament because of a knee injury, Zverev is in remarkable form, sporting an impressive 18-2 record in majors this year. After achieving his first Grand Slam title at the French Open and facing Sinner in the Wimbledon final, he now has a chance to take the title here, especially with Sinner out of the picture.
Carlos Alcaraz
The reigning champion has an outstanding record of 24-3 at Flushing Meadows. However, Alcaraz enters this year’s competition as a favorite but with some uncertainties. He hasn’t competed since April due to a wrist injury that kept him sidelined for several months, which might mean he’ll have some rust to shake off. As the No. 2 seed, Alcaraz faces Roman Safiullin first, a player who previously defeated him in Paris in 2023, and might encounter Ben Shelton in the quarterfinals.
Novak Djokovic
At 39 years old, Djokovic, seeded fourth, is demonstrating impressive longevity akin to sports legends like LeBron James and Lionel Messi. He continues to perform at a high level, beginning the year by reaching the Australian Open final and making it to the semifinals at Wimbledon. A potentially exciting semifinal against Alcaraz is on the horizon.
Ben Shelton
Ranked ninth and seeded eighth, Shelton is currently on a roll, perhaps only second to Zverev. He just made history by being the first man to successfully defend his Montreal title since Rafael Nadal did so in 2019, and he also reached the fourth round in Hamburg. The 23-year-old left-handed player could face Alcaraz in the quarters, and it wouldn’t be a huge surprise if he managed to pull off an upset against the Spaniard.
Taylor Fritz
This position could have very well gone to his fellow American, Frances Tiafoe, who is ranked 12th. Yet, it’s ninth-seeded Fritz who stands out after winning his first title of the year in Washington and reaching the quarterfinals in both Wimbledon and Cincinnati recently. Having reached the 2024 U.S. Open final and making it to the quarters last year, he appears to be a serious contender for another deep run this time around.
