The burning question in the men’s singles is an obvious one – who can stop Sinner and Spanish second seed Carlos Alcaraz carving up another Grand Slam title between them?
The pair have surged well clear of the rest of the ATP Tour in terms of quality over the past two seasons, forging a compelling rivalry which looks set to dominate in the coming years.
Nobody has managed to stop Sinner and Alcaraz sharing the past seven major titles, underlining their superiority by contesting the past two finals at the French Open and Wimbledon.
Sinner, 24, pulled out of their Cincinnati final on Monday through illness but was practising at Flushing Meadows on Thursday.
Novak Djokovic, who goes again for a standalone record 25th Grand Slam title, remains the third favourite, despite age seemingly catching up with the 38-year-old Serb.
Djokovic has not won a major since the 2023 US Open, coming up short against Sinner in the business end at both Roland Garros and Wimbledon this year.
The seventh seed cannot face Sinner until the final, having been put in 22-year-old Alcaraz’s side of the draw instead.
If Djokovic is to finally move clear of Margaret Court in terms of major titles, he might have to beat Alcaraz – who won the first of his five major titles at Flushing Meadows in 2022 – in the semi-finals.
Both Djokovic and Alcaraz, however, have landed tricky-looking opponents in the first round.
Djokovic faces talented American teenager Learner Tien, while Alcaraz must overcome another home player in giant server Reilly Opelka.
