With the U.S. Open just around the corner, it’s time to prepare for the year’s final Grand Slam tennis tournament. Here’s a guide on how to follow the event, along with details about the schedule, favorites, defending champions, and more.
The draw for the singles matches will take place on Thursday, with the main draw matches starting next Monday. In the United States, viewers can follow the tournament on ESPN. For those in other countries, information can be found here.
Aryna Sabalenka and Carlos Alcaraz are the top favorites to win the singles titles, according to BetMGM Sportsbook. Sabalenka, currently ranked second, has won the last two Australian Open titles and is listed at +250 odds following her recent victory at the Cincinnati Open. Top-seeded Iga Swiatek, who has won five Grand Slam titles, including the U.S. Open in 2022, follows with +350 odds. Defending champion Coco Gauff is rated at +600, while Elena Rybakina, the Wimbledon winner in 2022, has odds of +700. On the men’s side, Alcaraz, who won the U.S. Open in 2022, is the favorite with +160 odds, followed closely by Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner, both at +200.
The tournament will be held at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York City. The matches will be played on hard courts, with women competing in best-of-three sets and men in best-of-five sets. Organizers are planning separate day and night sessions, and the event will span 14 days. The two main courts, Arthur Ashe Stadium and Louis Armstrong Stadium, feature roofs that can be closed for weather protection.
Coco Gauff won her first Grand Slam title at the U.S. Open last year at the age of 19, defeating Sabalenka 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 in the final. Gauff became the first American teenager to win this prestigious tournament since Serena Williams in 1999. Novak Djokovic clinched his 24th major singles championship with a victory over Daniil Medvedev, becoming the oldest male champion in New York since the Open Era began in 1968.
The total prize pool for the U.S. Open has increased to a record $75 million—up from $65 million last year. Both singles champions will receive $3.6 million, an increase from $3 million. First-round losers in singles will receive $100,000, setting a record for the tournament.
“Right now, I just feel happiness and a very, very small bit of relief. Because, honestly, at this point, I did it for myself and not for others,” Coco Gauff said a year ago after winning her first Grand Slam title in New York.
Get ready for an unforgettable experience at the U.S. Open 2023!