{"id":594747,"date":"2026-08-24T19:26:14","date_gmt":"2026-08-24T19:26:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/594747\/"},"modified":"2026-08-24T19:26:14","modified_gmt":"2026-08-24T19:26:14","slug":"2026-us-open-players-israeli-presence-and-what-fans-can-expect","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/594747\/","title":{"rendered":"2026 US Open: Players, Israeli presence and what fans can expect"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tennis fans and lovers of the see-and-be-seen excitement surrounding the US Open will have plenty to enjoy when they enter the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens, New York<\/a>, for Fan Week and the qualifying tournament, which runs through August 27.<\/p>\n

The festivities include Arthur Ashe Kids\u2019 Day, the 2026 US Open Mixed Doubles Championship, a concert by The Lumineers and an exhibition match featuring tennis legend Roger Federer alongside longtime rival Andy Roddick and fellow US Open champions, Andre Agassi and John McEnroe.<\/p>\n

And all of that comes before the two-week Grand Slam officially gets underway on August 30.<\/p>\n

The US Open features the world\u2019s top players competing across men\u2019s and women\u2019s singles and doubles, as well as junior, wheelchair and quad divisions.<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s tournament takes place during Rosh Hashanah, which begins on the evening of September 11, and concludes with the men\u2019s singles final on September 13 at 2 p.m.<\/p>\n

\"AA general view shows Arthur Ashe Stadium during the men’s singles final tennis match between Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz and Italy’s Jannik Sinner on day fifteen of the US Open tennis tournament at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City on September 7, 2025; illustrative (credit: MANDEL NGAN\/AFP via GETTY IMAGES)The tournament at a glance<\/p>\n

Many of the sport\u2019s biggest stars and fan favorites are scheduled to compete in Flushing Meadows. World No. 1s and reigning US Open champions Aryna Sabalenka and Jannik Sinner lead the women\u2019s and men\u2019s fields, respectively. Sabalenka, who won the title in both 2024 and 2025, is aiming to become the first woman since Serena Williams<\/a> in 2012-14 to win three consecutive US Open singles titles.<\/p>\n

They are followed by world No. 2s Elena Rybakina, the reigning Australian Open champion, and Alexander Zverev, the 2026 French Open champion. World No. 3s Carlos Alcaraz, a two-time US Open champion, and Jessica Pegula, the 2024 US Open runner-up, are also among the leading names.<\/p>\n

Alcaraz has been away from competitive tennis since April after suffering a right wrist injury during his opening-round match against Otto Virtanen at the Barcelona Open. His most recent withdrawal came from the Cincinnati Open, which was scheduled for August 11-23 at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio.<\/p>\n

The US Open field includes 17 former Grand Slam singles champions \u2014 11 women and six men \u2014 including 10 former US Open champions.<\/p>\n

The United States leads all nations with 28 players earning direct entry into the main draw, split evenly between 14 women and 14 men.<\/p>\n

The American women are led by Pegula, world No. 4 Coco Gauff and No. 9 Amanda Anisimova, while the men\u2019s field includes top-10 players Ben Shelton and Taylor Fritz.<\/p>\n

Eight players \u2014 five women and three men \u2014 are entering the tournament using special or protected rankings, including Lois Boisson (No. 38), Juncheng Shang (No. 56), Irina-Camelia Begu (No. 82) and Thanasi Kokkinakis (No. 84).<\/p>\n

Both the men\u2019s and women\u2019s main-draw entries were based on the July 20 rankings. The women\u2019s cutoff was No. 102, while the men\u2019s was No. 101.<\/p>\n

No Israelis will compete in the main men\u2019s or women\u2019s draw or in the qualifying tournament this year.<\/p>\n

The US Open runs through September 13, with the singles main draws beginning August 30.<\/p>\n

Top players team up for mixed doubles<\/p>\n

Fans once again have an opportunity to see some of the world\u2019s greatest players in unusual pairings before the singles and doubles main draws get underway.<\/p>\n

The 2026 US Open Mixed Doubles Championship runs August 24-26 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, with Monday and Tuesday\u2019s matches free to attend in Grandstand and Louis Armstrong Stadiums.<\/p>\n

Among the star-studded pairings are Sabalenka and Novak Djokovic, Rybakina and Taylor Fritz, Mirra Andreeva and Andrey Rublev, Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud, and Venus Williams and Alexander Bublik.<\/p>\n

USTA CEO Craig Tiley said the mixed doubles competition provides an opportunity to showcase the sport in a different way.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnytime you can bring women and men together on the same team, you showcase tennis at its best,\u201d Tiley said. \u201cThis is exactly what the Mixed Doubles Championship does.\u201d<\/p>\n

The event is designed to engage new audiences while giving fans another chance to see some of the biggest stars in tennis competing together.<\/p>\n

A new look for Arthur Ashe<\/p>\n

The greatest stage in tennis is also in the midst of a major makeover.<\/p>\n

The US Open<\/a> is undertaking the largest single investment in its history, with the modernization of Arthur Ashe Stadium and the construction of a new, state-of-the-art Player Performance Center.<\/p>\n

The project represents an $800 million investment in the US Open and the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, entirely self-funded by the USTA. New York City continues to benefit from more than $1.2 billion in annual economic impact generated by the three weeks surrounding the US Open.<\/p>\n

Combined with the most recent transformation project, completed in 2018, the USTA has invested nearly $2 billion into the US Open and its home facility without using public, taxpayer or government funding.<\/p>\n

The transformation is taking place in three phases and is scheduled to be completed by the 2027 US Open without interrupting play or limiting fan access during the tournament.<\/p>\n

This year will be a transition period, with much of the interior of Arthur Ashe Stadium revamped. Some areas, however, will remain temporary until the project is completed in 2027.<\/p>\n

For 2026, fans will see an upward extension of the courtside-level bowl, adding 2,000 seats and expanding the courtside experience from 3,000 to 5,000 seats. A 40% increase in the promenade-level concourse will also create significantly more open space for fans at the promenade and loge levels.<\/p>\n

Once completed in 2027, the stadium will feature two new dedicated luxury-suite levels, fully modernized concourses, redesigned retail spaces and upgraded food and beverage areas.<\/p>\n

The project also includes a $250 million Player Performance Center, which will provide US Open competitors with expanded, state-of-the-art amenities.<\/p>\n

Israel\u2019s presence at the US Open<\/p>\n

Israeli and Jewish fans make their way to the US Open each year hoping to see Israeli and Jewish players in action. They keep an eye out for Israeli flags beside players\u2019 names on scoreboards and comb through draw sheets for names that might have a Jewish connection.<\/p>\n

This year, the only Jewishly identified players in any of the draws appear to be junior boys player Dan Brand, wheelchair player and quad wheelchair star Guy Sasson<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Brand, 17, represents one of Israel\u2019s brightest hopes for the future. The right-hander from Kfar Saba, who is coached by former Israeli tennis great Amos Mansdorf, is ranked among the top 24 junior boys in the world.<\/p>\n

Brand competed in both singles and doubles at the French Open and Wimbledon this year. He reached the second round of both events at Wimbledon, while at Roland Garros he advanced to the doubles quarterfinals. He will compete in both singles and doubles at the US Open, with junior play beginning September 6.<\/p>\n

Lysov, 22, is the world No. 12-ranked men\u2019s wheelchair tennis player. He lost in the first round of the singles competitions at this year\u2019s French Open and Wimbledon but reached the doubles quarterfinals at both Grand Slam events. He also competed at last year\u2019s US Open and will return this year.<\/p>\n

Sasson, 46, is perhaps the best-known tennis player representing Israel. The Ramat Gan resident has won six Grand Slam titles in the quad division.<\/p>\n

Sasson was paralyzed 11 years ago in a snowboarding accident in France but went on to build an extraordinary wheelchair tennis career. Most recently, he won the quad wheelchair doubles title at the 2026 Wimbledon Championships with Dutch partner Niels Vink.<\/p>\n

Sasson is currently ranked No. 3 in the world in quad singles and No. 2 in doubles. He will compete in both singles and doubles at the US Open, with wheelchair matches taking place September 8-12.<\/p>\n

Miznon makes its US Open debut<\/p>\n

Israel will also have a presence at the US Open beyond the courts, with chef and restaurant owner Eyal Shani making his US Open debut with Miznon.<\/p>\n

Miznon will bring its Mediterranean street food to the tournament, offering such favorites as rib-eye roast beef pita, chicken schnitzel pita, hummus with falafel, pita chips salad with schnitzel, and its signature green beans.<\/p>\n

Fans will have plenty of other food and beverage options throughout the tournament, including the US Open\u2019s signature cocktail, the Grey Goose Honey Deuce, as well as offerings from official partners including Dobel Tequila\u2019s Ace Paloma, Mo\u00ebt & Chandon\u2019s Mo\u00ebt Serve and Clos du Bois wine at the newly opened Club du Bois Wine Lounge.<\/p>\n

With tennis, entertainment, new facilities, star-studded mixed doubles and an Israeli presence both on the courts and in the food courts, the 2026 US Open promises to offer plenty for fans even before the first Grand Slam singles ball is struck.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Tennis fans and lovers of the see-and-be-seen excitement surrounding the US Open will have plenty to enjoy when…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":594748,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[269038,85,46,107,43,1505,10074],"class_list":["post-594747","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-israel","tag-guy-sasson","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-israeli-sports","tag-news","tag-tennis","tag-us-open"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/594747","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=594747"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/594747\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/594748"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=594747"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=594747"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=594747"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}