Alex de Minaur is the highest-ranked of 10 Australians who secured main-draw entry to the US Open, beginning Sunday 30 August in New York.
De Minaur is a three-time quarterfinalist at Flushing Meadows, including in his past two visits. He holds an impressive 22-9 win-loss record at the event.
The US Open has been a happy hunting ground for the newly-minted top-five player, as it has for several of his compatriots joining him in 2026.
Ajla Tomljanovic was a quarterfinalist in 2022, famously defeating Serena Williams in the third round that year in what was, at the time, Williams’ final professional singles match.
When Williams made a surprise comeback almost four years later, at Wimbledon last month, she was defeated by another Aussie in Maya Joint, who is also in the singles field in New York.
Joint won her first Grand Slam main-draw match at the 2024 US Open.
Daria Kasatkina, Kimberly Birrell and Talia Gibson boost the Australian women’s main-draw contingent to five, with Birrell and Gibson both searching for their first wins at Flushing Meadows.
The tournament was where Kasatkina made her Grand Slam debut – and reached the third round – in 2015; she has gone on to reach the second week twice.
Also appearing in the second week was Rinky Hijikata, in 2023. Hijikata has won seven of his past 11 matches and enters the North American hardcourt swing in form.
So too does Adam Walton, after reaching the final of the recent ATP Challenger event in Newport. Having switched to hardcourts this week in Bloomfield Hills, he faces compatriot Thanasi Kokkinakis for a place in the quarterfinals.
Kokkinakis is using a protected ranking of No.84 to enter the US Open main draw, where he reached the second round in 2019 and 2024.
Hijikata, Walton and Kokkinakis are joined in New York by James Duckworth, the 34-year-old Aussie who upset Tallon Griekspoor in the opening round of Wimbledon.
At this year’s US Open, the men’s main-draw direct entry ranking cutoff is world No.101.
Sitting just outside that are Aleksandar Vukic and Alexei Popyrin, ranked 102nd and 104th respectively; both could still enter should there be withdrawals from the tournament between now and late August.
Several more Aussies are expected to compete in the US Open qualifying tournament, beginning Monday 24 August at Flushing Meadows.