US Open 2026, where to watch and live stream

The US Open runs in New York, United States from 31 Aug – 13 Sep, played on medium-paced hard court. Bounces and pace sit between clay and grass, which rewards all-court players who can defend, attack and serve in roughly equal measure. It is a Grand Slam, one of the four biggest events on the tennis calendar. The singles champion takes 2,000 ranking points, plus the largest prize pool of any event on tour.

First held in 1881, played at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, New York. Play starts in 116 days, on Monday 31 August, with the main draw running through to Sunday 13 September.

Carlos Alcaraz defends the men's title · Aryna Sabalenka defends the women's title.

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The Laykold cushioned hard courts at Flushing Meadows play at a medium pace with a slightly higher bounce than the Australian Open’s Plexicushion, and considerably faster than Indian Wells or Cincinnati. Daytime humidity off Flushing Bay slows the ball through the afternoon and adds drag to the topspin shot; the night session under the floodlights, with the air drier and cooler, is consistently the quickest tennis of the year on tour. Arthur Ashe Stadium with the roof closed is louder, hotter, and a touch slower than with it open, which is why players talk about feeling the conditions change inside a set when New York weather forces the cover over.

Best-of-five for the men through the entire draw, no fifth-set tie-break beyond 6-all (a 10-point breaker decides it), and night sessions that can finish past 1am make the US Open a different physical test from the rest of the calendar. Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have shared the last three men’s titles. Coco Gauff lifted the women’s title in 2025 in straight sets. Aryna Sabalenka has been to three of the last four women’s finals. The surface is friendly to power baseliners and to flat-hitters with a serve over 200 km/h; pure clay specialists tend to flame out by week two.