IMAGE: Reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic lead the field at the US Open. Photograph: Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports/Reuters
The US Open is a hardcourt Grand Slam tournament organised by the United States Tennis Association. It was first held in 1881 and originally known as the US National Championships.
Here is what you need to know about the year’s final major:
WHEN IS THE US OPEN HAPPENING?
* This year’s US Open runs from Aug. 28-Sept. 10.
WHERE IS THE US OPEN TAKING PLACE?
* The US Open is held in New York every year.
* The three main showcourts at the US Open are Arthur Ashe Stadium, Louis Armstrong Stadium and the Grandstand.
* Arthur Ashe Stadium (capacity: 23,771) is named after the only Black man to claim singles titles at Wimbledon, the U.S. Open and the Australian Open. He was also a prominent human rights activist.
* Louis Armstrong Stadium (capacity: 14,053) was named after jazz great Armstrong who lived a few blocks from the venue until he died in 1971. It was opened during the 2018 event to replace the 1978 stadium of the same name and has a retractable roof like the main court.
* The Grandstand (capacity: 8,125) made its debut on Aug. 29, 2016, the opening day of the 2016 U.S. Open.
WHO IS INVOLVED IN THE US OPEN?
* The top-ranked players automatically enter the main draw with 32 seeds announced prior to the draw to ensure they do not meet in the early rounds. Seedings are based on world rankings determined by the points players collect on the tour.
* Holder Carlos Alcaraz of Spain is the men’s world number one. He claimed his second Grand Slam title at Wimbledon.
* Poland’s Iga Swiatek, the French Open champion, is the women’s world number one and will defend her New York crown.
* Organisers also hand out wildcards for local hopes and notable players who have dropped down the rankings.
TOP RANKED PLAYERS
MEN
1 Carlos Alcaraz (Spain)
2 Novak Djokovic (Serbia)
3 Daniil Medvedev (Russia)
4 Holger Rune (Denmark)
5 Casper Ruud (Norway)
6 Jannik Sinner (Italy)
7 Stefanos Tsitsipas (Greece)
8 Andrey Rublev (Russia)
9 Taylor Fritz (United States)
10 Frances Tiafoe (United States)
WOMEN
1 Iga Swiatek (Poland)
2 Aryna Sabalenka (Belarus)
3 Jessica Pegula (United States)
4 Elena Rybakina (Kazakhstan)
5 Ons Jabeur (Tunisia)
6 Coco Gauff (United States)
7 Caroline Garcia (France)
8 Maria Sakkari (Greece)
9 Marketa Vondrousova (Czech Republic)
10 Karolina Muchova (Czech Republic)
WHERE TO WATCH THE U.S. OPEN ON TV
The full list of official broadcasters of the U.S. Open in each country can be found here.
* Africa: beIN Sports and SuperSport.
* Europe: Eurosport, Sky Sports, Sportdeutschland.TV, SuperTennis and Telefonica/Movistar.
* Asia Pacific & Oceania: CCTV, Digicel, MIGU, Nine, Sportcast, SPOTV, Stan Sport, TVNZ and WOWOW.
* India & subcontinent: Sony Sports Network.
* Latin America & Caribbean: ESPN Brazil, ESPN Caribbean, ESPN Latin America (North and South), TV Globo.
* Middle East: beIN Sports.
* North America: TSN, ESPN.
