This is how the US Open draw looked after Alcaraz lost in the second round

Getting through the first two rounds puts a certain respect on the main favorites, because entering a Grand Slam is not easy, especially not in US Openwhen the forces are no longer at the beginning of the season and the Olympic Games are also held between Wimbledon and the New York event, combining the grass, the Roland Garros soil and the hard terrain of North America.

Carlos Alcaraz, champion at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, silver medalist at Paris 2024 and defeated in the second qualifying round in New York by world number 74, Dutchman Botic Van de Zandschulp, 6-1, 7-, can attest to this. 5 and 6-4.

No. 1, the Italian, was absent from the Paris Games Jannik Sinner. Officially, due to tonsillitis. The recent Masters 1000 ATP champion in Cincinnati, it was later discovered that he was awaiting a resolution regarding the double positive in the same anti-doping test in March, during the Indian Wells tournament.

The Serbian won the gold Novak Djokovicwho decided not to play again until the US Open, where he was defending his crown.

Both Sinner and Djokovic are in the third round, the sixteenth, as are Russian Daniil Medvedev and German Alexaner Zverev. Of the serious favorites, only Carlos Alcaraz, who is a guarantee in the main round Grand Slams, was left, surprisingly.

The other casualty in the world top-10 was the Pole Hubert Hurkaczalthough falling in the second round is common for him in this event. He’s not good at anything.

Of the sixteen main seeds, also say goodbye to a Sebastian Korda injured and two heavyweights currently in dire crisis, the Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas (11) and the Danish Holger Rune (15).

The sector most empty of seeds is the sa Carlos Alcaraz. The place in the quarterfinals that seemed destined for him was now in the hands of crosses coming from the Van de Zandschulp-Draper and Goffin-Machac qualifying rounds. Thinking about the semi-finals, Alex de Minaur, held at the hip, this is the most powerful name.

Among the Spaniards, none of the men. Yes they continue to the feminine Paula Badosa and Jessica Bouzashaving already achieved their best result at a US Open.

Favorites among women are also on the table: the Americans Coco Gauffwho defends the title, and Jessica Pegulathe best in Canada and Cincinnati, including the No. 1, the Polish Iga Swiatekand the Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka. The Kazakh was dismissed due to injury Elena Rybakinafollowing the strange pattern of recent months. And Badosa, one of the best known on the circuit with a title in Washington and a semifinal in Cincinnati, is looking to get into this group.

TOP PORTION OF PHOTO

Jannik Sinner (ITA/1)-Christopher O’Connell (AUS)

Gabriel Diallo (CAN)-Tommy Paul (USA/14)

Nuno Borges (POR)-Jakub Mensik (CHE)

Flavio Cobolli (ITA)-Daniil Medvedev (Russian/5)

Botic Van de Zandschulp (NED)-Jack Draper (GBR)

David Goffin (BEL)-Tomas Macac (CHE)

Alex de Minaur (AUS/10)-Daniel Evans (GBR)

Matteo Arnaldi (ITA/30)-Jordan Thompson (AUS)

LOWER PART OF THE FRAME

Casper Ruud (NOR/8)-Juncheng Shang (CHN)

Francisco Comesaña (ARG)-Taylor Fritz (USA/12)

Brandon Nakashima (JAP)-Lorenzo Musetti (ITA/18)

Tomás Martín Etcheverry (ARG)-Alexander Zverev (ALE/4)

Andrey Rublev (RUS/6)-Jiri Lehecka (CHE/32)

Tallon Griekspoor (NED)-Grigor Dimitrov (BUL/9)

Ben Shelton (USA/13)-Frances Tiafoe (USA/20)

Alexei Popyrin (AUS/28)-Novak Djokovic (SRB/2)

TOP PORTION OF PHOTO

Iga Swiatek (POL/1)-Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS)

Ashlyn Krueger (USA)-Liudmila Samsonova (RUS/16)

Sara Errani (ITA)-Diana Shnaider (RUS/18)

Jessica Bouzas (ESP)-Jessica Pegula (USA/5)

Jessica Ponchet (FRA)-Caroline Wozniacki (DIN)

Beatriz Haddad Maia (BRA/22)-Anna Kalinskaya (RUS/15)

Karolina Muchova (CHE)-Anastasia Potapova (RUS)

Yulia Putintseva (KAZ/30)-Jasmine Paolini (ITA/5)

LOWER PART OF THE FRAME

Elena-Gabriela Ruse (RUM)-Paula Badosa (ESP/26)

Victoria Azarenka (BLR/20)-Yafan Wang (CHN)

Emma Navarro (USA/13)-Marta Kostyuk (UCR/19)

Elena Svitolina (UCR/27)-Coco Gauff (USA/3)

Qinwen Zheng (CHN/7)-Jule Niemeier (ALE)

Donna Vekic (CRO/24)-Peyton Stearns (USA)

Madison Keys (USA/14)-Elise Mertens (BEL/33)

Ekaterina Alexandrova (RUS/29)-Aryna Sabalenka (BLR/2)