2026 US Open Day 6: Qualifying Ends, Alcaraz Back
Muchová & Menšík take mixed doubles gold as singles qualifying wraps and the main draw looms Sunday
Good — I now have solid verified data to build the briefing. August 28 is the final day of qualifying (singles qualifying runs August 24–28), with the Mixed Doubles Championship concluded on August 26–27 and the main draw beginning August 30. Let me compose the briefing now.
Qualifying Final Day: Muchovà & Menšík Crowned, Singles Draw Eyes Sunday
August 28, 2026 — Flushing Meadows, New York. The 2026 US Open is in its final qualifying day before the main draw begins Sunday, August 30. Yesterday, August 27, the headline result was the completion of the Mixed Doubles Championship:
Karolína Muchová and Jakub Menšík defeated Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli 6–3, 1–6, [10–6] to win the mixed doubles title at the 2026 US Open.
Defending champions
Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori — two-time defending champions — were eliminated in the first round by Mirra Andreeva and Andrey Rublev.
Today, August 28, is the final day of singles qualifying across Flushing Meadows' outside and grandstand courts, with the last available main-draw spots on the line. The singles main draw ceremony is expected in the coming days; eyes are locked on the bracket positioning of Carlos Alcaraz — making his injury comeback — and world No. 1 challenger Elena Rybakina. Live title odds for both the men's and women's draws are moving in real time. Track every shift and place your bets at WeeBet's live hub: /events/us-open-tennis-2026.
Tournament Snapshot
- Prize Pool$0MRecord high
- Main Draw StartsAug 0Sunday
- Women's FinalSep 0Ashe Stadium
- Men's FinalSep 0Ashe Stadium
- Qualifying EndsTodayAug 28
The Mixed Doubles Verdict: What It Means
The 2026 US Open mixed doubles event concluded on August 24–26
, with the final played August 27. Muchová and Menšík's victory over Bencic and Cobolli — clinched via a match-tiebreak after dropping the second set — was the signature result of Fan Week.
Qualifiers were introduced to the format this year to give doubles specialists a chance to compete in the tournament after their exclusion in previous editions.
The celebrity pairings generated enormous viewing figures.
The pairing which attracted most eyeballs was the newly formed partnership of Carlos Alcaraz and Serena Williams.
This marked Alcaraz's return to competitive tennis for the first time since suffering a wrist injury in April, while Williams made her return to New York for the first time since 2022.
The crowd reaction to Alcaraz's fitness — he moved freely and struck the ball cleanly through the early rounds — had immediate implications for the men's singles title market.
Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka formed the second most popular pairing.
The WTA World No. 1 featured in the mixed doubles event for the first time, while Djokovic hoped for better returns having lost in the opening round last year.
Alcaraz Comeback: The Odds Catalyst
The men's singles market was reshaped the moment Alcaraz stepped onto the Arthur Ashe Stadium court without apparent restriction on his previously injured wrist.
As of August 2026, Alcaraz is making an injury comeback while Elena Rybakina challenges for the world No. 1 ranking
— two storylines that are driving the most market movement ahead of the August 30 start.
At the 2025 US Open, Alcaraz defeated defending champion Jannik Sinner 6–2, 3–6, 6–1, 6–4 in the final to claim the men's singles title.
It was his second US Open title and sixth major title overall.
He enters 2026 as the defending champion — though the long wrist absence through the summer hardcourt swing kept his pre-qualifying odds wide. His clean movement in Fan Week has the market recalibrating. Check the live men's singles outright market at /events/us-open-tennis-2026 — positions are shifting hour by hour as draw details emerge.
Alexander Zverev — who carries the No. 1 seed narrative after a strong hardcourt summer — is a key counter-position to Alcaraz in the market.
In the 2026 US Open men's draw, Zverev leads the field while Alcaraz faces a familiar threat and Djokovic's path presents early danger.
Women's Draw: Rybakina's Grand Slam Case
On the WTA side, Elena Rybakina enters Flushing Meadows with genuine title equity.
Rybakina defeated Aryna Sabalenka 6–4, 4–6, 6–4 to win the women's singles title at the 2026 Australian Open
— her second major.
Rybakina was the fourth woman since the establishment of the WTA rankings to defeat both the world No. 1 and No. 2 en route to the Australian Open title.
Sabalenka, the two-time defending US Open champion (2024, 2025), will be the betting public's sentimental favourite given her comfort on the New York hard courts.
Sabalenka was the defending 2025 women's singles champion and successfully retained her title that year.
However, a Rybakina who has already beaten Sabalenka in a major final this calendar year (January 2026) commands respect from the market. The women's singles outright odds — with Sabalenka, Rybakina, and the emerging American contingent all in contention — are live at WeeBet: /events/us-open-tennis-2026.
2026 Grand Slam women's singles — Rybakina vs Sabalenka head-to-head context
| Metric | Rybakina | Sabalenka |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 AO result | Champion | Runner-up |
| 2025 US Open result | – | Champion |
| 2024 US Open result | – | Champion |
| Active Slam titles | 2 | 3 |
| 2026 major final W/L | 1-0 | 0-1 |
Qualifying Day: What's at Stake August 28
Singles qualifying runs Monday August 24 through Friday August 28, with men's and women's qualifying matches played across the outside courts and grandstand courts.
Qualifying is free to attend.
Today's final-round qualifying matches are the last pathway to main-draw entry for the field's fringe contenders. Successfully navigate qualifying and a player earns a first-round slot in a 128-draw tournament worth life-changing prize money.
The 2026 US Open prize money features a record-breaking total prize pool of $101 million — the largest ever in tennis history, representing a 19% increase from the 2025 total of $85 million.
Even first-round losers in the main draw collect a guaranteed paycheque at that prize level, which raises the stakes for today's final qualifiers considerably.
The Record-Breaking Context
The US Open 2026 runs from August 23 to September 13 at Flushing Meadows — 22 days of tennis, the longest edition in the tournament's history.
The 15-day main draw with a Sunday start, introduced in 2025, continues in 2026, beginning on Sunday 30 August.
Matches are contested on the outdoor hard courts of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens, which has been the setting for the tournament since 1978. The venue contains three stadiums, including Arthur Ashe Stadium, which holds 23,200 fans.
The extended format — combined with the record prize pool — means more court time, more markets, and more opportunities to position on in-tournament value. WeeBet's live hub at /events/us-open-tennis-2026 carries updated odds across outright, set betting, and player prop markets for every main-draw day.
What to Watch Sunday (Main Draw Day 1 — August 30)
With qualifying wrapping today and the draw likely confirmed in the next 24–48 hours, three storylines will dominate Sunday's opening round:
- Alcaraz's first singles match since his April wrist injury — watch for serve velocity and backhand loading under match pressure, not just exhibition pace.
- Rybakina's draw placement relative to Sabalenka's quarter — if they land on the same half, markets for a fourth-round or quarterfinal collision between them could offer value before the bracket fully prices in.
- Djokovic's early schedule —
Djokovic's path in the 2026 US Open men's draw presents early danger
, and how the bracket seedings fall around him will determine whether his outright position shortens or drifts on Sunday morning.
Bookmark /events/us-open-tennis-2026 for live odds updates from the moment the order of play drops.
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Frequently Asked Questions
When does the 2026 US Open main draw begin?
The men's and women's singles main draws begin on Sunday, August 30.
Today, August 28, is the final day of qualifying. The main draw bracket is expected to be confirmed within the next 24–48 hours.
What is the 2026 US Open prize money?
The 2026 US Open carries a record-breaking total prize pool of $101 million — the largest in tennis history, representing a 19% increase from the 2025 total of $85 million.
Who won the 2026 US Open Mixed Doubles Championship?
Karolína Muchová and Jakub Menšík defeated Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli 6–3, 1–6, [10–6] to win the mixed doubles title
on August 27, 2026.
Where can I track live 2026 US Open odds?
WeeBet runs a dedicated live odds and markets hub at /events/us-open-tennis-2026, covering outright winner markets for both men's and women's singles, set betting, and in-play props across every main-draw session. All odds update in real time. Please gamble responsibly.
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