US Open Day 3: Gauff, Rybakina and Men’s Draw Tension
The US Open is already crackling with tension. Upsets have ripped through the men’s draw, the first round is in the books, and Day 3 now arrives with star power and storylines stacked across every court in Queens.
This is the grind phase of a Grand Slam. No trophies in sight yet, just long days, heavy legs and the knowledge that one bad set can send you home.
Gauff under the lights, Rybakina in the early heat
On the women’s side, the marquee name comes late. Coco Gauff takes the night session at 7 p.m. ET, facing Zeynep Sonmez under the lights at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. An American headliner, in prime time, in New York — the expectations write themselves.
Before Gauff steps out, the day belongs to the grinders.
From 11 a.m. ET, Maria Sakkari opens against Robin Montgomery, with a string of tricky matches spilling across the courts: Yuliia Starodubtseva vs. Ella Seidel, Yulia Putintseva vs. Belinda Bencic, and Thea Frodin’s daunting assignment against No. 2 seed Elena Rybakina. The former Wimbledon champion knows this surface, knows this stage, and knows that early rounds are where contenders quietly build momentum.
Madison Keys, a perennial threat in New York, begins at 11:30 a.m. ET against Alina Korneeva, a test of whether the American’s power game can click early in the fortnight. From lunchtime onward, the schedule turns relentless.
At 12:40 p.m. ET, Mirra Andreeva meets Janice Tjen. Five minutes later, Darja Vidmanova faces Jessica Bouzas Maneiro. By 1:10 p.m. ET, Lucie Havlickova vs. Anna Bondar and Daria Kasatkina vs. Paula Badosa overlap, two matches that could quietly shape the complexion of the draw.
The afternoon is a carousel: Tatjana Maria vs. Jelena Ostapenko at 1:40 p.m. ET, Kaitlin Quevedo vs. Elise Mertens at 1:50, Arantxa Rus vs. Leolia Jeanjean at 1:55. Iva Jovic vs. Magdalena Frech at 2:50 p.m., Nikola Bartunkova vs. Mayar Sherif at 3:20, Oleksandra Oliynykova vs. Reese Brantmeier at 3:30, Magda Linette vs. Francesca Jones at 4 p.m. The night session continues after Gauff with Mary Stoiana vs. Alexandra Eala at 8:40 p.m. ET.
One women’s match has already been lost to the schedule: Anastasia Potapova vs. Terez Valentova has been cancelled.
Zverev, Fritz, Monfils and a men’s draw on edge
The men’s singles field has already taken damage. Jannik Sinner is out of the tournament through injury, leaving Alexander Zverev as the top seed, Carlos Alcaraz as No. 2 and Felix Auger-Aliassime at No. 3. The hierarchy is clear on paper, far less so on court after a string of early surprises.
Day 3 offers another stress test.
From 11 a.m. ET, the courts fill with dangerous floaters and seeded targets: Francisco Comesana vs. Flavio Cobolli, Mattia Bellucci vs. Zsombor Piros, Dane Sweeny vs. Corentin Moutet, Nishesh Basavareddy vs. Tristian Schoolkate, and Filip Misolic vs. Francisco Cerundolo. These are the matches that rarely make the primetime promos but often fuel the chaos of week one.
The spotlight begins to narrow around midday. At 12:10 p.m. ET, Camilo Ugo Carabelli faces Jan-Lennard Struff, a big-hitting clash that could swing quickly. At 12:50 p.m. ET, Taylor Fritz, one of the key American hopes, opens his campaign against Darwin Blanch, a match that will draw serious attention in a home Slam for the world No. 1 American man.
By 1:10 p.m. ET, Arthur Fery meets Lorenzo Musetti, while 1:30 p.m. brings Zizou Bergs vs. Carlos Taberner. Ten minutes later, Jesper de Jong takes on Francesco Passaro. The pace barely relents.
At 2:20 p.m. ET, Rafael Jodar faces Yunchaokete Bu, with Juan Manuel Cerúndolo vs. Arthur Gea running alongside. At 2:50 p.m., three matches hit the board at once: Fabian Marozsan vs. Michael Zheng, Zachary Svajda vs. Daniel Altmaier, and Alex Molcan vs. Benjamin Bonzi. Jan Choinski vs. Botic van de Zandschulp follows at 3 p.m. ET.
The late afternoon offers Marcos Giron vs. Ignacio Buse at 4:30 p.m., then Andrea Guerrieri vs. Alex de Minaur at 5 p.m. ET — a key outing for the Australian, who thrives on hard courts and often relishes the New York grind.
The evening session carries the star wattage. At 7 p.m. ET, Adolfo Daniel Vallejos Álvarez faces Gael Monfils, one of the sport’s great entertainers and still a box-office draw. At 8:10 p.m. ET, top seed Alexander Zverev steps in against Lorenzo Sonego, a match that will be dissected for any sign of vulnerability at the top of the men’s draw.
Where to watch: cable, streaming, and a free route
In the United States, ESPN holds exclusive broadcast rights to the US Open, with some matches also airing on ABC and the ESPN app. If you still have cable, the route is simple: ESPN and ABC carry you through the tournament.
Cord-cutters have options. ESPN’s own streaming service starts at $29.99 per month, offering live sports and archived programming. Live TV platforms fill the gap for those who need ABC and ESPN channels in one place:
- DirecTV’s base package, at $59.99 for the first month, includes ABC and ESPN+.
- Fubo’s Sports plan, at $65.99 per month, carries ABC, ESPN and ESPN 2, with a quarterly payment option.
- Sling’s Essentials plan offers ESPN and ESPN 2 for $19.99 per month, with a $4.99 Day Pass available if you only want to drop in for a day of play.
- YouTube TV’s Sports Plan includes ABC, ESPN and ESPN 2 for $64.99 per month.
For viewers chasing a free window, several of these services — DirecTV, FuboTV and YouTube TV — provide free trials that can cover at least part of the tournament.
There is also a completely free broadcast, if you can reach it. In Australia, 9Now will stream the 2026 US Open at no cost. Fans in the US, UK or other regions can potentially access that coverage by using a virtual private network (VPN) to connect to an Australian server.
Services such as ExpressVPN, with servers spread across the globe, allow users to route their connection through another country and unlock geo-restricted streams. The process is straightforward: subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN, install the app on your device, connect to a server in Australia, then head to 9Now and start watching. Many VPN providers offer free trials to first-time users, opening a path to watch the US Open without paying a subscription fee, at least temporarily.
Dates, format and what’s at stake
The 2026 US Open stretches over three weeks, from Sunday, August 23 to Sunday, September 13, at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens, New York. First contested in 1881, it stands as the second-oldest Grand Slam behind Wimbledon and, like the Australian Open, is played on hard courts that reward clean ball-striking and physical resilience.
The structure is packed and unforgiving:
- Qualifying events: August 24–27
- Men’s and women’s singles main draws: August 30–September 13
- Mixed doubles: August 24–26
- Men’s and women’s doubles: September 3–12
- Junior events: September 3–12
- Wheelchair events: September 8–12
Finals weekend sets the stage for the sport’s biggest moments. The Women’s Doubles Final lands on Friday, September 11. Saturday, September 12 brings the Women’s Singles Final alongside the Men’s Doubles Final. The Men’s Singles Final closes the tournament on Sunday, September 13.
A loaded field and a home nation with depth
This year’s draw boasts 17 former Grand Slam singles champions, 10 of them past US Open winners. That depth of pedigree gives the event a familiar edge: history is everywhere you look.
On the men’s side, the absence of Jannik Sinner shifts the balance. Zverev sits as the No. 1 seed, Alcaraz at No. 2, and Auger-Aliassime at No. 3. All three carry different questions — about form, fitness, and whether they can handle two weeks of New York’s noise and expectation.
Among the women, Aryna Sabalenka leads the field as the top seed, with Rybakina at No. 2 and American Jessica Pegula at No. 3. Sabalenka’s power, Rybakina’s precision and Pegula’s consistency form a compelling triangle at the top of the draw.
The United States sends 28 players into the main draw, more than any other nation. Beyond Pegula and Fritz, the home roster includes Coco Gauff, Amanda Anisimova, Ben Shelton and Venus Williams — a blend of rising stars, established contenders and a legend who helped define an era on these courts.
The mixed doubles title has already been decided, with Karolina Muchova and Jakub Mensik of Czechia lifting the trophy. Everything else is still in motion. The courts are full, the schedule is brutal, and the next wave of upsets is only ever a few points away.
In New York, that’s exactly how the US Open likes it.
