The US Open Tennis Championships is back at Flushing Meadows, and with the 2026 main draw now underway, searches for the US Open, US Open tennis, and the US Open 2026 schedule are spiking across the country. Whether you're trying to figure out what's on the US Open schedule today, how much prize money is on the line, or simply where to watch, here's a complete, up-to-date breakdown of everything happening at this year's US Open tennis championships.

What Is the US Open Tennis Championships?

The US Open is the fourth and final Grand Slam of the tennis season, following the Australian Open, French Open, and Wimbledon. It's organized by the United States Tennis Association and played on outdoor hardcourts at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, Queens, New York City. First held in 1881, it's one of the oldest championships in tennis and remains the only Grand Slam that has been staged every single year since its inception, uninterrupted by either World War.

When Is the US Open 2026?

The 2026 US Open runs from Sunday, August 23 through Sunday, September 13, making it 22 days long — the longest edition in the tournament's nearly 150-year history. Fan Week and qualifying rounds took place from August 23–29, and the main singles draws began on Sunday, August 30. Qualifying was originally scheduled to wrap up on August 28, but weather delays pushed the final qualifying matches to August 29, right before the main draw got underway.

What Is the Full US Open Tennis 2026 Schedule?

Here's the round-by-round breakdown for the singles draws:

First round: August 30 – September 1
Second round: September 2–3
Third round: September 4–5
Round of 16: September 6–7
Quarterfinals: September 8–9
Women's semifinals: September 10
Men's semifinals: September 11
Women's singles final: Saturday, September 12
Men's singles final: Sunday, September 13

The doubles schedule runs slightly behind the singles draw:

First round: September 3–4
Second round: September 5–6
Third round: September 7
Quarterfinals: September 8
Semifinals: September 9
Women's doubles final: September 11
Men's doubles final: September 12

Mixed doubles looks different this year. The event has been reworked into a standalone Mixed Doubles Championship played during Fan Week rather than alongside the main tournament, with a 16-team field competing August 24–26. It already wrapped up, with Karolína Muchová and Jakub Menšík beating Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli in a deciding match tiebreak to take the title and the $1 million winners' prize.

What's on the US Open Schedule Today?

Sunday, August 30 marks Day 1 of the main draw, and it's a stacked day of tennis. Four-time champion Novak Djokovic opens his campaign against Mariano Navone in the night session on Arthur Ashe Stadium, while 46-year-old Venus Williams takes on fellow American Sofia Kenin earlier in the day. Other notable Day 1 matchups include Jessica Pegula against Elena Gabriela Ruse and Daniil Medvedev against Hugo Gaston. Gates open at 9:30 a.m. through September 9, then shift to 11 a.m. for the tournament's final days, September 10–13. Because the daily order of play is finalized and posted the evening before, it's worth checking the official US Open schedule page each morning for exact match times and court assignments.

Where Is the US Open Played?

Every match takes place at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, Queens. The grounds include 22 outdoor courts, headlined by four show courts: Arthur Ashe Stadium, Louis Armstrong Stadium, the Grandstand, and Court 17. Arthur Ashe Stadium is the main court, seating 23,771 fans, and it got a retractable roof in 2016 that cost roughly $180 million, allowing matches to continue through rain. Louis Armstrong Stadium seats 14,061 and opened in 2018 at a cost of around $200 million.

Who Are the Top Seeds and Contenders at the 2026 US Open?

Carlos Alcaraz returns as the men's defending champion, while Aryna Sabalenka is back-to-back defending women's champion and enters as the top seed for an eighth consecutive Grand Slam. The men's draw took a significant hit before it even started: Jannik Sinner withdrew on August 21 with a right knee injury, his first missed major since 2019, which bumped Alexander Zverev up to the top seeding. In total, 19 players pulled out of the singles draws, including Jack Draper, Joao Fonseca, and Emma Raducanu. Novak Djokovic, a four-time US Open champion, is also in the field, alongside Felix Auger-Aliassime, Flavio Cobolli, Alex de Minaur, and 2021 champion Daniil Medvedev. The tournament also features 28 American players in the draw, including Taylor Fritz, Ben Shelton, and Amanda Anisimova.

How Much Is the US Open 2026 Prize Money?

The USTA has set this year's total prize pool at $108 million, a 20% jump over last year's then-record $90 million and the first time any tennis tournament has crossed the $100 million mark in total player compensation. Here's how it breaks down:

Singles champion (men's and women's, equal): $5,500,000
Singles runner-up: $2,800,000
Singles first-round loser: $140,000 (up about 27% from 2025)
Doubles champions: $1,000,000 per team
Mixed doubles champions: $1,000,000 per team

As with the other Grand Slams, the biggest percentage increases this year went to players who exit early, continuing a broader trend of boosting lower-round payouts to help players who don't make deep runs cover their expenses. The USTA also introduced a new $2 million Player Support Program this year, split equally between the men's and women's fields, designed to help main-draw singles and doubles players with mid-career transitions and retirement planning.

How Can I Watch the US Open Tennis 2026?

In the United States, the US Open airs across ABC, ESPN, and ESPN2, with ESPN Deportes carrying select matches in Spanish. ESPN holds the exclusive US broadcast rights under a 12-year agreement with the USTA that began this year and runs through 2037. For streaming, ESPN's direct-to-consumer service (increasingly being marketed as ESPN Unlimited, or ESPN Select on some plans) carries the full tournament, and you can also stream ABC, ESPN, and ESPN2 through live-TV services like Fubo, Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV, DirecTV, and YouTube TV.

Can I Watch the US Open for Free?

Yes, there are a few genuinely free ways to catch the action. ABC broadcasts three full Sundays over the air for free with just an antenna: opening day (August 30), the Round of 16 (September 6), and the men's singles final (September 13). Several streaming services also offer free trials that are long enough to cover a weekend of matches, including DirecTV (five-day trial), Fubo (typically a one- to five-day trial depending on the offer), and Hulu + Live TV (three-day trial). The official US Open radio feed also streams live and free on USOpen.org for anyone who just wants audio coverage of the action.

What Happened at the US Open Mixed Doubles Championship?

The Mixed Doubles Championship got a major makeover for 2026, moving out of the main tournament and into its own standalone event during Fan Week, with a $1 million winner's prize per team, by far the richest mixed doubles purse in tennis. The 16-team field played its semifinals and final under the lights at Arthur Ashe Stadium, with Karolína Muchová and Jakub Menšík ultimately beating Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli 6-3, 1-6, 10-6 to claim the title on August 26, days before the main singles draws even began.

Syed Aqeel — author and verified this story.

US Open Tennis 2026: Full Schedule, Today's Matches, Prize Money and How to Watch