Camille Naredo

Germany's Alexander Zverev celebrates after winning the men's final singles match against Italy's Flavio Cobolli on day 15 of the French Open tennis tournament on Court Philippe-Chatrier at the Roland-Garros Complex in Paris on June 7, 2026. Dimitar Dilkoff, AFP/File

Germany's Alexander Zverev celebrates after winning the men's final singles match against Italy's Flavio Cobolli on day 15 of the French Open tennis tournament on Court Philippe-Chatrier at the Roland-Garros Complex in Paris on June 7, 2026. (Photo by Dimitar DILKOFF / AFP)

Article (news)

French Open

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1788089987745AFP__20260607__B6AR64L__v4__MidRes__TopshotTennisFraOpen2026.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960" alt="Germany&#x27;s Alexander Zverev celebrates after winning the men&#x27;s final singles match against Italy&#x27;s Flavio Cobolli on day 15 of the French Open tennis tournament on Court Philippe-Chatrier at the Roland-Garros Complex in Paris on June 7, 2026. Dimitar Dilkoff, AFP/File"/>Germany&#x27;s Alexander Zverev celebrates after winning the men&#x27;s final singles match against Italy&#x27;s Flavio Cobolli on day 15 of the French Open tennis tournament on Court Philippe-Chatrier at the Roland-Garros Complex in Paris on June 7, 2026. Dimitar Dilkoff, AFP/File</div>NEW YORK — The US Open looks more open than ever, and top-seeded Alexander Zverev says the absence of Jannik Sinner and questions surrounding defending champion Carlos Alcaraz as he returns from injury do little to enhance his own status as favorite.&quot;I feel like I&#x27;m one of the 128 players that are favorites in the draw,&quot; the German said as he prepared for the start of the last Grand Slam of the season on Sunday in Flushing Meadows.Zverev captured a long-awaited first Grand Slam title at the French Open this year and finished runner-up to world number one Sinner at Wimbledon.Alcaraz, whose Australian Open title in January made him the youngest man to complete the career Grand Slam, missed both of those tournaments with a right wrist injury that the Spaniard says is fully healed.<div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/othersports/2026/8/29/tennis-alcaraz-anxious-after-layoff-but-feels-great-about-wrist-0646">READ: Alcaraz anxious after layoff but feels &#x27;great&#x27; about wrist</a></div>But more than four months have elapsed since he last played, and it remains to be seen if he has the requisite fitness to become the first man to win back-to-back US Open titles since Roger Federer won his fifth straight back in 2008.&quot;I expect him to be maybe a bit rusty the first or second match, but once he gets through that, I think he&#x27;s going to be a contender for sure here,&quot; Zverev said.A host of players who could challenge the top two seeds includes 39-year-old Novak Djokovic, seeded fourth as he again chases a record-setting 25th Grand Slam singles title.Djokovic said his early exit amid physical struggles in the Cincinnati Masters had a silver lining, allowing him to &quot;really train and get my body and mind into the right state, prepared for what&#x27;s coming up.&quot;Like Zverev, Shelton was reluctant to paint Sinner&#x27;s withdrawal with a knee injury as an automatic boost to his own title hopes.&quot;I know how much quality that there is in the draw,&quot; Shelton said. &quot;I think it would be disrespectful to just think &#x27;Oh, there&#x27;s no Sinner, it&#x27;s a massive opportunity.&quot;Shelton pointed to Zverev, the returning Alcaraz and Djokovic, but also to rising talents like France&#x27;s Arthur Fils, who won his first ATP Masters title in Cincinnati last week.&quot;All the American guys are pretty dangerous on this surface,&quot; added Shelton, who retired from the third round at the US Open last year with a shoulder injury. &quot;I think to kind of discredit the group that is playing high-level tennis right now wouldn&#x27;t be smart.&quot;<div> </div><div>- Sabalenka swoon -<img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1788090041207AFP__20260629__B8PJ3VU__v1__MidRes__TennisGbrWimbledon.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960" alt="Belarus&#x27;s Aryna Sabalenka celebrates beating Serbia&#x27;s Teodora Kostovic during their women&#x27;s singles first round tennis match on the first day of the 2026 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on June 29, 2026. Glyn Kirk, AFP/File"/>Belarus&#x27;s Aryna Sabalenka celebrates beating Serbia&#x27;s Teodora Kostovic during their women&#x27;s singles first round tennis match on the first day of the 2026 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on June 29, 2026. Glyn Kirk, AFP/File</div>Women&#x27;s world number one Aryna Sabalenka insists no one should count her out as she bids to become just the third woman, after Chris Evert and Serena Williams to win three straight US Open titles.<div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/othersports/2026/8/27/tennis-serena-venus-williams-receive-u-s-open-doubles-wildcard-0102">READ: Serena, Venus Williams receive U.S. Open doubles wildcard</a></div>But since her back-to-back hard-court titles in Indian Wells and Miami the Belarusian star hasn&#x27;t reached a final, and even if she pulls off the rare treble she could still lose her world number one ranking.Second-ranked Elena Rybakina, who beat Sabalenka for the Australian Open title in January, has been steadily closing in and could secure the top spot with a run to the semi-finals regardless of Sabalenka&#x27;s results.Rybakina&#x27;s US Open build-up has been clouded by injury, but six-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek, third-ranked Jessica Pegula and No. 4 Coco Gauff arrive buoyed by recent successes.&quot;There&#x27;s not one or two super-dominant players where you feel like they have to lose in order for you to have a chance,&quot; said Pegula, who has won two titles this season and reached three other finals.Pegula was beaten in the Cincinnati title match by a resurgent Gauff, who won the first of her two Grand Slam titles at the US Open in 2023.Swiatek, the former world number one from Poland, sent a signal with her first title of the year in Toronto.All of the marquee names -- including two-time champion Naomi Osaka -- will have to contend with rising stars including Philippines sensation <a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/othersports/2026/8/29/alex-eala-returns-to-us-open-as-one-of-tennis-brightest-stars-1513">Alexandra Eala</a> and Sara Bejlek, the 20-year-old Czech who is seeded 28th after a breakout run to the Cincinnati semi-finals that included a victory over Sabalenka.

The US Open looks more open than ever, and top-seeded Alexander Zverev says the absence of Jannik Sinner and questions surrounding defending champion Carlos Alcaraz as he returns from injury do little to enhance his own status as favorite.

The US Open looks more open than ever, and top-seeded Alexander Zverev says the absence of Jannik Sinner and questions surrounding defending champion Carlos Alcaraz as he returns from injury do little to enhance his own status as favorite.

Tennis: US Open top seed Zverev downplays favorite status

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Tennis: US Open top seed Zverev downplays favorite status

Rebecca Bryan,

Agence France-Presse

Published August 30, 2026 07:42 PM PHT

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New York

United States

US Open

Alexander Zverev

Carlos Alcaraz

Aryna Sabalenka

Elena Rybakina

Alex Eala

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