Alcaraz starts US Open comeback against Safiullin

Carlos Alcaraz will start his US Open title defence against Russia's Roman Safiullin in the first serious examination of his fitness following a long-term wrist injury.

Alcaraz, who won the men's title in New York last year, has not played a competitive singles match for more than four months because of inflammation in his playing right wrist.

The 23-year-old Spaniard missed this season's French Open and Wimbledon as a result of the issue, which did not require surgery, before making his return to court in the US Open mixed doubles alongside Serena Williams earlier this week.

Britain's surprise Wimbledon semi-finalist Arthur Fery returns to the Grand Slam stage with a first-round match against Italian 13th seed Lorenzo Musetti.

Novak Djokovic's latest quest for a standalone record 25th Grand Slam singles title starts against Argentina's Mariano Navone.

If he gets through that match, the 39-year-old Serb faces a challenging second-round match against either Italy's Matteo Berrettini - who Djokovic beat in the 2021 Wimbledon final - or three-time major champion Stan Wawrinka, in what will be the final major of the Swiss player's career after he was given a late wildcard.

Despite his long absence, Alcaraz is still seeded second at Flushing Meadows behind Germany's Alexander Zverev, who faces Italy's Lorenzo Sonego in his opening match.

Zverev, looking for his second major title after finally breaking his duck at Roland Garros in June, is the top seed after Italy's Jannik Sinner withdrew with a knee injury.

In the women's draw, defending champion Aryna Sabalenka starts against Colombia's Camila Osorio.

Sabalenka goes into the US Open having topped the WTA rankings for 97 weeks, but knows her place remains under threat from reigning Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina, who has been drawn against American teenage wildcard Thea Frodin.

Two-time champion Venus Williams, 46, has been given a wildcard despite losing all 10 of her matches this season and faces 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin in the first round.

Fery, 24, produced a career-changing run at the All England Club in July, propelling him into the world's top 40 for the first time and securing his US Open debut in the process.

Fery narrowly missed out on a seeding and, having been drawn against 2025 quarter-finalist Musetti, has received a tough opener as a result.

A lot of attention will be placed on how the world number 37 fares in New York, where he leads a rather sparse British contingent in the absence of injured pair Jack Draper and Emma Raducanu.

Draper, who reached the 2024 semi-finals, withdrew last week because of a long-term arm injury, while 2021 champion Raducanu remains sidelined with the shin fracture which also forced her to miss Wimbledon.

British men's number one Cameron Norrie did manage to sneak into the seedings and the 29th seed plays France's Luca van Assche in his opening match.

Jan Choinski is currently the only other Briton in the men's draw after reaching the world's top 100 for the first time in June at the age of 30.

Choinski's reward for earning direct entry into a Grand Slam other than Wimbledon for the first time is a first-round contest with Dutch player Botic van de Zandschulp, who famously beat Alcaraz in the second round of the 2024 US Open.

Katie Boulter is the only Briton guaranteed a place in the women's draw through her ranking and meets American wildcard Carol Young Suh Lee, who is ranked 143rd in the world.

If Boulter wins a Grand Slam match for only the second time this year, the 30-year-old could meet Wimbledon finalist Karolina Muchova in the second round.

Six more Britons - Francesca Jones, Jacob Fearnley, Toby Samuel, Heather Watson, Harriet Dart and Harry Wendelken - aim to reach the main draws by winning their final qualifying matches on Thursday.

Women's singles:

Maja Chwalinska [20] (Pol) v Taylor Townsend (US)

Katie Volynets (US) v Linda Noskova [6] (Cze)

Jessica Pegula [3] (US) v Elena-Gabriela Ruse (Rom)

Zeynep Sonmez (Tur) v Coco Gauff [4] (US)

Iga Swiatek [8] (Pol) v Wang Xiyu (Chn)

Thea Frodin (US) v Elena Rybakina [2] (Kaz)

Full women's singles draw, external

Men's singles:

Rafael Jodar [12] (Spa) v Thanasi Kokkinakis (Aus)

Felix Auger-Aliassime [3] (Can) v Rinky Hijikata (Aus)

Adolfo Daniel Vallejo (Par) v Gael Monfils (Fra)

Marin Cilic (Cro) v Andrey Rublev [23] (Rus)

Stefanos Tsitsipas (Gre) v Arthur Fils [10] (Fra)

Full men's singles draw, external