Carlos Alcaraz is the No. 2 seed at the bottom of the men’s singles draw. This is a tricky half of the draw for the Spaniard if he wants to reach his third straight slam final.
2021 U.S. Open champion Daniil Medvedev could face Alcaraz in the Round of 16. While the Russian is struggling with form, he has history against Alcaraz here, beating him in the 2023 semifinals.
Ben Shelton has a good shot at making the quarterfinals. The American enters the U.S. Open on a high after winning his first ATP Masters 1000 in Canada. Alcaraz is 3-0 against the sixth seed but it would be tough facing him in front of the raucous Arthur Ashe crowd.
Novak Djokovic and Taylor Fritz are the main semifinal hopeful from the bottom section. Djokovic has reached the final four at every Grand Slam this year, but has not yet made a final.
The last time he went a calendar year without a final appearance at a major was 2017.
Either way, it won’t be an easy path to the final for Alcaraz, who is searching for his second slam title of 2025.
