NEW YORK (AP) — Get ready for the U.S. Open before play begins Monday with a guide that tells you everything you need to know about how to watch the year's last Grand Slam tennis tournament, what the schedule is, what the betting odds are, who the defending champions are and more:
HOW TO WATCH THE U.S. OPEN ON TV—In the U.S.: ESPN
— Other countries are listed here.
THE SINGLES SCHEDULE—Thursday: The brackets are released
—Friday: Qualifying rounds end
—Monday-Tuesday: First Round (Women and Men)
—Aug. 30-31: Second Round (Women and Men)
—Sept. 1-2: Third Round (Women and Men)
—Sept. 3-4: Fourth Round (Women and Men)
—Sept. 5-6: Quarterfinals (Women and Men)
—Sept. 7: Women’s Semifinals
—Sept. 8: Men’s Semifinals
—Sept. 9: Women’s Final
—Sept. 10: Men’s Final
BETTING FAVORITESNovak Djokovic is a plus-130 money-line pick to win the men's title, according to FanDuel Sportsbook, slightly ahead of reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz at plus-160. That's not much different from how they were listed after Alcaraz defeated Djokovic in the Wimbledon final last month. Daniil Medvedev, who beat Djokovic to win the 2021 title at Flushing Meadows, is next for the U.S. Open at plus-750, roughly double where he was listed right after reaching the semifinals at the All England Club. Frances Tiafoe, a surprise semifinalist at the 2022 U.S. Open, is a joint-14th pick at plus-6,000 to leave New York with the trophy. Andy Murray — 36 and with an artificial hip — is at plus-5,000. For the women, Iga Swiatek is the top choice at plus-240; she's the defending champion and is No. 1 in the WTA rankings. She is followed by Aryna Sabalenka, who won the Australian Open title in January, at plus-470. Last year's Wimbledon champion, Elena Rybakina, is next at plus-650, followed by three-time major runner-up Ons Jabeur at plus-1,100, and then the top two American women — Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula — both at plus-1,600, alongside Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova.
GET CAUGHT UPWhat to read heading into the U.S. Open:
— A year after Serena Williams and Roger Federer retired, tennis is in a state of transition
— Coco Gauff just won her two biggest titles and is a serious trophy contender in New York
— Video review on double bounces will make its Grand Slam debut at Flushing Meadows
— Women will use the same tennis balls as the men after using different equipment for years
— There are very few female coaches in professional tennis
— A look at some of the top women in the U.S. Open field
— A look at some of the top men in the U.S. Open field
— Nick Kyrgios will be absent from the Grand Slam stage again
— Carlos Alcaraz won his second major championship at Wimbledon by beating Novak Djokovic
— Marketa Vondrousova, the Wimbledon champion, has a taste for McDonald’s
THE BASICSThe site in New York is the Billie Jean King USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows. The surface is hard courts. Women play best-of-three-set matches; men play best-of-five-set matches.
THE DEFENDING CHAMPIONSIga Swiatek defeated Ons Jabeur 6-2, 7-6 (5) to collect her first U.S. Open championship and third Grand Slam title overall — a total she increased to four by winning the French Open in June. Carlos Alcaraz got past Casper Ruud 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (1), 6-3 to become, at 19, the first teenager to win the men's trophy at Flushing Meadows since Pete Sampras in 1990. The victory also allowed Alcaraz to rise to No. 1 in the ATP rankings for the first time.
PRIZE MONEYTotal player compensation is rising to a record $65 million, up from about $60 million in 2022. This is the 50th anniversary of the U.S. Open becoming the sport’s first event to pay women and men the same, and both singles champions will get $3 million in 2023. That's below the pre-pandemic pay of $3.9 million for each winner in 2019.
WHO IS MISSINGThree recent superstars of the sport will not be in New York: Roger Federer and Serena Williams have retired, and Rafael Nadal is recovering from surgery for a hip problem. Other top players absent include two-time U.S. Open champion Naomi Osaka (gave birth in July), two-time major champions Simona Halep (provisional doping ban) and Garbiñe Muguruza (taking a break from the tour), 2016 U.S. Open champion Angelique Kerber (gave birth in February), 2014 U.S. Open champion Marin Cilic (injured), 2022 Wimbledon runner-up Nick Kyrgios (injured), Denis Shapovalov (injured) and Reilly Opelka (injured).
LOOK WHO’S BACKCaroline Wozniacki received a wild-card entry from the U.S. Tennis Association when she announced in June she would be coming out of retirement at age 33. She won the 2018 Australian Open and twice was the runner-up at the U.S. Open before stepping away from the sport in 2020 to start a family. She and her husband, former NBA player David Lee, have two children.
TRY A TENNIS QUIZTry your hand at the AP’s U.S. Open quiz.
STATS TO KNOW249 — Novak Djokovic's career victories over opponents ranked in the Top 10.
11-1 — Coco Gauff’s record since a first-round loss at Wimbledon.
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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
