US Open 2026: Dates, draws, schedule, prize money and everything to know

The season’s fourth and final major is here with the 2026 US Open.

The world’s best players will compete at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York. The singles field features six former US Open champions and 13 Grand Slam winners.

Here is everything you need to know about the 2026 US Open:

What are the dates for each round?

Singles main-draw play from Flushing Meadows begins with the first round, which will be held over three days from August 30 to September 30. The tournament concludes with the women's doubles final on Friday, September 11 at 12 p.m. local and the women's singles final on Saturday, September 12 at 4 p.m. 

Here are the dates for each of the draws:

Singles
First round: August 30-September 1
Second round: September 2-3
Third round: September 4-5
Fourth round: September 6-7
Quarterfinals: September 8-9
Semifinals: September 10
Final: September 12

Doubles
First round: September 3-4
Second round: September 5-6
Third round: September 7
Quarterfinals: September 8
Semifinals: September 9
Final: September 11

When is the singles draw and who are the top seeds and notable wild cards?

The 128-player singles draw will be held Thursday, August 27. Two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka will be the top seed for the eighth consecutive Grand Slam.

Elena Rybakina, Jessica Pegula and 2023 champion Coco Gauff round out the top four seeds. All three are in contention to overtake Sabalenka at No. 1 in the PIF WTA Rankings.

A full draw breakdown will be available on wtatennis.com.

Projected Seeds

1. Aryna Sabalenka

2. Elena Rybakina

3. Jessica Pegula

4. Coco Gauff

5. Mirra Andreeva

6. Linda Noskova

7. Karolina Muchova

8. Iga Swiatek

9. Elina Svitolina

10. Amanda Anisimova

11. Marta Kostyuk

12. Belinda Bencic

13. Naomi Osaka

14. Iva Jovic

15. Diana Shnaider

16. Sorana Cirstea

17. Alexandra Eala

18. Ekaterina Alexandrova

19. Jasmine Paolini

20. Maja Chwalinska

21. Anna Kalinskaya 

22. Madison Keys

23. Elise Mertens

24. Anastasia Potapova

25. Marie Bouzkova

26. Emma Navarro

27. Barbora Krejcikova

28. Sara Bejlek

29. Ann Li

30. Jelena Ostapenko 

31. Leylah Fernandez

32. Maria Sakkari

 

Singles wild cards: Venus Williams (two-time champion), Sloane Stephens (2017 champion), Sofia Kenin, Carol Young Suh Lee, Reese Brantmeier, Thea Frodin, Leolia Jeanjean (reciprocal arrangement with FFT), Taylah Preston (reciprocal arrangement with Tennis Australia).

In doubles, 14-time Grand Slam doubles champions Serena Williams and Venus Williams received a wild card into the doubles draw and will team up at a major for the first time since the 2022 US Open. 

Who are the defending champions?

Sabalenka enters the US Open as the two-time defending champion following her 6-3, 7-6 (3) victory over Anisimova to win her fourth career Grand Slam title. Sabalenka became the first woman to defend her US Open title since Serena Williams in 2024. 

The victory was Sabalenka’s 100th at a Grand Slam and marked a rebound after runner-up finishes at the 2025 Australian Open and Roland Garros.

"After French Open I figured that, 'OK, maybe it’s time for me to sit back and to look at those finals and to maybe learn something,'"Sabalenka said to press. "Because I didn’t want it to happen again and again and again.

"I thought that if I made it to the final, it means that I’m going to win it, and I sort of didn’t expect players to come out there and to fight. I thought that everything going to go easily my way, which was completely wrong mindset. Going into this final, I decided for myself that I’m going to control my emotions."

In doubles, Erin Routliffe and Gabriela Dabrowski won the US Open title for the second time in three years, defeating top-seeded Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend 6-4, 6-4.

What are the ranking points and prize money at stake?

The 2026 US Open will offer a record $108 million in player compensation, a 20% increase from $90 million in 2025. The men’s and women’s singles champions will each earn $5.5 million.

As at every Grand Slam, the singles champion will earn 2,000 points toward the PIF WTA Rankings and the PIF Race to the WTA Finals at Indian Wells. Any movement in the rankings will depend on each player’s result compared with her performance at last year’s US Open.

Below is a breakdown of the prize money and ranking points available in New York.

Singles (Prize money | ranking points)
First Round: $190,000 | 10
Second Round: $190,000 | 70
Third Round: $290,000 | 130
Fourth Round: $480,000 | 240
Quarterfinals: $780,000 | 430
Semifinals: $1.45 million | 780
Finalist: $2.8 million | 1300
Champion: $5.5 million | 2000

Qualifiers
Round 1: $32,000 | 2
Round 2: $48,000 | 20
Round 3: $66,000  | 30

Doubles
First Round: $35,000 | 10
Second Round: $50,000 | 130
Third Round: $80,000 | 240
Quarterfinals: $125,000 | 430
Semifinals: $250,000 | 780
Finalist: $500,000 | 1300
Champion: $1 million | 2000

To see a full breakdown of prize money, click here.