Alcaraz Set for Safiullin Test as US Open Title Defense Begins.

NEW YORK — Carlos Alcaraz will begin his US Open title defense against a familiar and dangerous opponent when the year’s final Grand Slam gets underway Sunday. The No. 2 seed was drawn against Roman Safiullin, setting up an intriguing first-round matchup for the Spaniard, who is returning to singles competition after several months away because of a right wrist injury. Alcaraz has not played a singles match since April and missed both the French Open and Wimbledon. His return came recently in mixed doubles alongside Serena Williams, but the appearance offered little indication of how quickly Alcaraz can regain his singles form. Safiullin, meanwhile, arrives in New York with plenty of confidence after reaching the fourth round at Wimbledon. The Russian defeated Andrey Rublev and Joao Fonseca during his run at the All England Club before losing to Novak Djokovic in four sets. Safiullin also owns a win over Alcaraz, having upset the Spaniard at the 2023 Paris Masters when Alcaraz was ranked No. 2 in the world. Alcaraz responded with a victory over Safiullin at the Paris Olympics the following year. The men's draw also produced several high-profile opening-round matches. Alexander Zverev, elevated to the No. 1 seed after Jannik Sinner withdrew because of a knee injury, will face Italy's Lorenzo Sonego. Alcaraz is projected to meet No. 8 seed Ben Shelton in the quarterfinals. Four-time US Open champion Djokovic, seeded No. 4, is positioned for a potential quarterfinal against No. 7 Daniil Medvedev. Other projected quarterfinals feature Zverev against No. 6 Alex de Minaur and No. 3 Felix Auger-Aliassime against No. 5 Flavio Cobolli. One of the most anticipated first-round contests will pit No. 10 seed Arthur Fils against Stefanos Tsitsipas. Fils enters the tournament after winning the Cincinnati Open, while Tsitsipas is a former world No. 3 and two-time Grand Slam finalist.

Stan Wawrinka, the 2016 US Open champion, will also begin what is expected to be his final Grand Slam appearance against Matteo Berrettini. Wawrinka received a wild card for the tournament, while Berrettini defeated him in four sets at Wimbledon, with every set decided by a tiebreak. Elsewhere, No. 23 seed Andrey Rublev will meet 2014 US Open champion Marin Cilic. No. 13 Lorenzo Musetti, a quarterfinalist in New York last year, opens against Britain's Arthur Fery, who reached the Wimbledon semifinals.

Sabalenka Leads Women's Field

On the women's side, defending champion Aryna Sabalenka will begin her bid for a third consecutive US Open title against Camila Osorio. The world No. 1 could face Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova, the No. 6 seed, in the quarterfinals. Other potential quarterfinal matchups include Elena Rybakina against Iga Swiatek, Jessica Pegula against Karolina Muchova, and Coco Gauff against French Open champion Mirra Andreeva. Pegula will open against Elena-Gabriela Ruse and could meet the winner of the Venus Williams-Sofia Kenin matchup in the second round. That first-round meeting became possible after 46-year-old Venus Williams received a wild card. The U.S. Tennis Association had initially reserved another wild-card spot that could have gone to Serena Williams, but Serena ultimately chose to compete only in doubles. The spot went to Kenin, the 2020 Australian Open champion.

The draw then placed Williams and Kenin against each other. With qualifying scheduled to conclude Thursday, several players were still waiting to learn their opening-round opponents, including No. 11 Marta Kostyuk and No. 17 Alex Eala. Main-draw action at the US Open begins Sunday, with Alcaraz facing an immediate challenge as he attempts to return to singles competition and defend his championship on the hard courts of New York.