US Open 2026 Day 3: Djokovic Out, Zverev Opens
Navone stuns Djokovic on Day 1 as Alcaraz returns and Zverev, Gauff open Tuesday
Day 3 Briefing: Djokovic Out, Alcaraz Back, Zverev Opens — US Open 2026 in Motion
Day 2 at Flushing Meadows (August 31) delivered the fortnight's first seismic result:
Mariano Navone stunned four-time champion Novak Djokovic in five sets
, sending the fourth seed home before September.
Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz opened on Arthur Ashe Stadium against Roman Safiullin, his first singles match since April following a right-wrist injury
, while
top seed Aryna Sabalenka took on Camila Osorio
in her first match chasing a third straight US Open crown. On Day 3 — Tuesday, September 1 —
the first round concludes after three days
.
Arthur Ashe Stadium hosts three U.S. stars — Madison Keys, Taylor Fritz, and Coco Gauff — plus top seed Alexander Zverev beginning his Roland Garros title defence.
The full picture of the draw's upper half sharpens today. Live title odds, outright markets, and first-round event contracts are all live at WeeBet's hub: /events/us-open-tennis-2026.
By the Numbers: 2026 US Open, Day 3
- Prize money (total)$0MRecord purse
- Singles champion payout$0.0MEach draw
- Top seed (Men)A. ZverevSinner injured
- Top seed (Women)A. Sabalenka2× defending
- Seeds lost (Men, Day 1)0 (Djokovic)Aug 30
- First round endsSep 0Day 3
The Djokovic Shock: What It Means for the Men's Draw
Navone defeated [4] Novak Djokovic 7-6(5), 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1
on Sunday evening in Arthur Ashe Stadium. Reports from New York cited Djokovic as physically compromised during the contest, but the Argentine qualifier capitalised ruthlessly across five sets to earn one of the upset results of the 2026 Grand Slam season.
The loss strips the men's draw of its most decorated active champion in New York — Djokovic is a four-time winner of the title — and opens a significant portion of the bottom half. For markets, the consequence is immediate: Djokovic's outright position collapses to zero, and the probability mass redistributes across the surviving contenders. Check WeeBet's live outright markets at /events/us-open-tennis-2026 for the post-Djokovic redistribution as it updates in real time.
Alcaraz's Comeback: The Market's Most Watched Return
Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz arrived cold — a right-wrist injury stopped his season in Barcelona in April and cost him Roland Garros and Wimbledon, so New York is his first tournament in more than four months.
As of August 31, he faced Roman Safiullin in the second match on Arthur Ashe Stadium, his rust a legitimate pricing concern even at his seeded number.
Among those in the draw are defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev, and four-time winner Novak Djokovic
— though Djokovic is now gone, Alcaraz's route to a second straight title runs through a draw that features
Felix Auger-Aliassime seeded third.
If Alcaraz wins Day 2 convincingly, expect his outright odds to shorten sharply heading into the second round. If he drops a set to Safiullin, the markets will price the wrist concern back in. WeeBet's live hub updates with each game won.
Women's Draw: Sabalenka's Three-Peat Bid and Pegula's Statement
Aryna Sabalenka is the two-time defending champion and top seed for an eighth straight major. A third title in a row would make her the first woman to three-peat in New York since Serena Williams in 2012, 2013, and 2014.
Meanwhile, third seed Jessica Pegula opened in emphatic fashion.
Pegula began her quest for a maiden major title with a dominant straight-set win over Elena-Gabriela Ruse, played a relentless return game early generating 14 breakpoint opportunities in the first set alone, and hit 26 winners to just 14 unforced errors.
Day 2's upset note on the women's side came courtesy of Kamilla Rakhimova,
who beat [27] Barbora Krejcikova 7-6(4) 6-2
— an early exit for the Wimbledon-pedigree Czech.
Women's title contenders: seeding vs. Day 1 result
| Player | Seed | R1 Result |
|---|---|---|
| A. Sabalenka | 1 | vs Osorio (Aug 31) |
| J. Pegula | 3 | d. Ruse 6-3 6-2 |
| C. Gauff | 4 | Sep 1 (today) |
| B. Krejcikova | 27 | Lost to Rakhimova |
| L. Fernandez | 31 | d. Zhang 6-3 6-2 |
Today's Slate: September 1 Key Matches to Watch
The first round at the 2026 US Open concludes on Tuesday, September 1.
The order of play on Arthur Ashe Stadium is headlined by four names who carry the heaviest market interest of the day:
Alexander Zverev vs. Lorenzo Sonego —
The reigning Roland Garros men's singles champion and top seed begins his title defence at Flushing Meadows.
Zverev enters as the draw's top seed only because
world No. 1 Jannik Sinner withdrew on August 21 with a right knee injury — his first missed Grand Slam since his major debut at the 2019 US Open — leaving Alexander Zverev to take the top seeding.
Coco Gauff —
The 2023 US Open winner opens her singles campaign on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Gauff enters as fourth seed;
she, Elena Rybakina, and Jessica Pegula can all take the No. 1 ranking at this tournament.
Madison Keys and Taylor Fritz — both American hopes with genuine deep-run credentials,
also getting their singles campaigns underway on Ashe.
Also in action are Filipina starlet Alexandra Eala, French Open women's singles winner Mirra Andreeva, retiring former world No. 6 Gaël Monfils, and Olympic bronze medallist Lorenzo Musetti.
Track live first-set prices and in-play event contracts for all of today's matches at WeeBet: /events/us-open-tennis-2026.
Market Movements: Where the Odds Stand Heading Into Day 3
The two biggest Day 1 market signals were Djokovic's exit and Pegula's performance. In the men's draw, Zverev's clean start positions him as the field's frontrunner until Alcaraz's physical condition is confirmed. In the women's draw, Sabalenka's outright price should remain tight pending her Day 2 result against Osorio, while Pegula's dominant win will likely see her shorten.
The champion takes home $5.5 million from a record total purse of $108 million, up 20 percent on 2025
— meaning every advancing player has financial as well as ranking incentives to push deep.
A first-round loss is worth $140,000.
Outright odds are live and updating match by match at WeeBet's hub. For today's first-round closers and second-round opener prices, visit /events/us-open-tennis-2026.
Context: Draw Structure and Road to the Final
The 2026 US Open takes place from August 23 to September 13 at Flushing Meadows, New York.
The women's singles final takes place on Saturday, September 12, while the men's singles final is on Sunday, September 13.
The men's singles semi-finals are scheduled for Friday, September 11 at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. EDT.
The round-by-round schedule runs: First round August 30–September 1; Second round September 2–3; Third round September 4–5; Fourth round September 6–7; Quarterfinals September 8–9; Women's semi-finals September 10; Women's final September 12.
Seven rounds, 127 matches — the field is still 200-plus players deep across both draws as September 1 play begins.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the top men's seed at the 2026 US Open?
World No. 1 Jannik Sinner missed the tournament — the first major he has missed since his debut at the 2019 US Open — and Alexander Zverev, the 2026 Roland Garros champion, took the top seeding in his place.
Is Carlos Alcaraz playing the 2026 US Open?
Yes.
Defending champion Alcaraz is seeded second and arrived cold — a right-wrist injury stopped his season in Barcelona in April and cost him Roland Garros and Wimbledon, making New York his first tournament in more than four months.
What happened to Novak Djokovic at the 2026 US Open?
Mariano Navone stunned four-time champion Novak Djokovic in five sets
on Day 1, Sunday August 30.
The final scoreline was 7-6(5), 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1
— one of the largest upsets of the 2026 Grand Slam season.
Can Aryna Sabalenka win three straight US Open titles?
Sabalenka is the two-time defending champion and top seed for an eighth straight major. A third title in a row would make her the first woman to three-peat in New York since Serena Williams won in 2012, 2013, and 2014.
Her Day 2 match result against Camila Osorio updates live on WeeBet's hub.
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