By Aadi Nair
(Reuters) -The following are some of the other contenders for the men’s singles title at the U.S. Open, which begins on Sunday:
ALEXANDER ZVEREV (GERMANY)
Ranking: 3
Alexander Zverev showed flashes of his best to reach the Australian Open final at the start of the year, but suffered a shock defeat to Arthur Rinderknech in the opening round of Wimbledon, after which he told reporters he felt “empty” and was considering therapy.
He has since enjoyed a promising run in the North American hardcourt swing and will be desperate to finally end his Grand Slam duck with victory at the U.S. Open.
The German reached the semi-finals of both ATP 1000 tournaments held this month, losing in three sets to Karen Khachanov in Toronto and then battling dizziness in his defeat by Carlos Alcaraz in Cincinnati.
TAYLOR FRITZ (UNITED STATES)
Ranking: 4
Fritz is looking to go one better than last year after falling to Jannik Sinner in the final but the American has struggled under pressure on a few occasions over the past few weeks.
He was beaten in the quarter-finals in Washington by Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, lost to compatriot Ben Shelton in the Toronto semi-finals and then suffered a shock defeat by qualifier Terence Atmane in Cincinnati.
The 27-year-old must fully exploit his devastating serve if he hopes to become the first American man to win a major since Andy Roddick in 2003.
JACK DRAPER (BRITAIN)
Ranking: 5
When Jack Draper suffered a semi-final defeat by eventual champion Sinner in New York last year, he was ranked 25th in the world.
The Briton has since gone from strength to strength on the tour and claimed the biggest title of his career at Indian Wells, while also reaching the final in Madrid, during a strong 2025 campaign.
However, the past few months have not been easy on the 23-year-old.
Faced with the immense burden of shouldering home hopes at Wimbledon, he lost in second round to Marin Cilic and has not played a singles match since due to an arm injury, likely leaving him slightly undercooked for the year’s final Grand Slam.
ALEX DE MINAUR (AUSTRALIA)
Ranking: 8
Alex de Minaur has not had the most consistent season and has twice been bumped out of the top 10, but the Australian put in a heroic display in last month’s Washington Open final, saving three match points to claim his first title of the year.
He has a tour-leading 24 wins on hard courts this year and should get through the early rounds at Flushing Meadows easily enough.
He has never gone past the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam though, and has a woeful 0-6 record against fellow top-10 players this year.
FRANCES TIAFOE (UNITED STATES)
Ranking: 17
Little has gone right for Frances Tiafoe in the past few months. The American was knocked out in the second round of Wimbledon before failing to string together more than a couple of wins in both DC and Toronto.
He suffered another setback in his preparations for the U.S. Open during his fourth-round match against Holger Rune in Cincinnati when he was forced to retire due to a lower back injury.
Tiafoe has a knack for turning up his game in New York, however, having reached the semis twice in the last three years.
(Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
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