Who are the 2026 US Open men's singles quarterfinalists?
The 2026 US Open men's singles quarterfinalists are Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz, Ben Shelton, Frances Tiafoe, Alexander Blockx, Alex Michelsen, Karen Khachanov and Botic van de Zandschulp.
There was an unusual uncertainty surrounding the men’s game heading into the 2026 US Open. After decades of stability—The Big Three of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic smoothly transitioning into the two-headed titan of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner—this year’s Open did not have a clear favorite at its outset.
Sinner is absent this year, a knee injury keeping him out of the tournament, and Alcaraz had not played a competitive tournament since April, the product of a sore wrist. Alexander Zverev won the 2026 French Open and reached the Wimbledon final, but he had never previously been the top seed at a Grand Slam. And Djokovic entered with health questions, concerns borne out in a shock first-round loss to Mariano Navone.
Now, as the US Open heads into the stretch run, we have some clarity. Only eight men remain—four you’d expect (Zverev, Alcaraz, Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe) and four you probably didn’t (Alexander Blockx, Alex Michelsen, Karen Khachanov and Botic van de Zandschulp). But if you made it this far, you have a shot.
With that, let’s take a look at the remaining contenders, how they got here and their road to the 2026 US Open men’s singles title:
Alexander Zverev
Seed/Rank: 1/2
Next opponent: Botic van de Zandschulp
Best US Open result: Runner-up (2020)
Best Grand Slam result: W (2026 French Open); F (2020 US Open, 2024 French Open, 2025 Australian Open, 2026 Wimbledon)
Sets won/lost: 12-4
Distance run: 34,326 feet
Time spent on court: 14 hours. 23 minutes
Zverev had a sluggish start to his 2026 US Open—needing five sets in each of his first two matches, against Lorenzo Sonego and Quentin Halys—but he has settled down since, winning in straight sets over No. 25 Alejandro Tabilo and No. 21 Luciano Darderi. With that, the 29-year-old German is into the quarterfinals at the US Open for the fifth time, and on Wednesday, he will be bidding to reach the semifinals at all four majors in the same season for the first time in his career. It has been that type of year for the No. 2 player in the world, who, in addition to winning the French Open and advancing to the final at Wimbledon, has reached the final in Madrid and the semifinals in Monte Carlo and Indian Wells, all Masters 1000 events.
Carlos Alcaraz
Seed/Rank: 2/3
Next opponent: No. 8 Ben Shelton
Best US Open result: W (2022, 2025)
Best Grand Slam result: W (2022, 2025 US Open; 2023-24 Wimbledon; 2024-25 French Open; 2026 Australian Open)
Sets won/lost: 12-1
Distance run: 29,696 feet
Time spent on court: 9:43
The biggest question mark heading into the 2026 US Open surrounded Alcaraz’s fitness—and even if his bothersome right wrist was in fact fully healed, how the long layoff between competitive matches would impact his play. The defending champion did not compete in a single tour match between Barcelona in April and the start of this Flushing fortnight. No man has ever won the US Open without competing on the summer hard-court circuit, but if Week 1 was any indication, Alcaraz appears fully capable of becoming the first. He has dropped just one set so far, to Jaime Faria in the second round, and was dominant against a dogged opponent in the fourth round, dusting Tommy Paul in straight sets. Alcaraz’s run of American opponents continues in the quarterfinals, when he faces Ben Shelton, with either Fraces Tiafoe or Alex Michelsen awaiting in a potential semifinal tilt.
Ben Shelton
Seed/Rank: 8/9
Next opponent: No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz
Best US Open result: SF (2023)
Best Grand Slam result: SF (2023 US Open, 2025 Australian Open), QF (2023, 2026 Australian Open; 2025 Wimbledon; 2026 US Open)
Sets won/lost: 12-3
Distance run: 30,830 feet
Time spent on court: 11:13
The top-ranked American man was dealt a difficult draw but has managed it nicely, going four sets in each of his first three rounds—against former Top-25 player Tallon Griekspoor and former Top-10 players and Grand Slam semifinalists Hubert Hurkacz and Denis Shapovalov—before blitzing former world No. 3 Stefanos Tsitsipas in Round 4. That sets up a marquee quarterfinal Tuesday night against defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, against whom Shelton is 0-3 lifetime. Shelton heads into this matchup on a roll, however, having won in Montreal this summer for his fourth title of the season, which trails only Jannik Sinner’s six among tour leaders for 2026.
Frances Tiafoe
Seed/Rank: 11/12
Next opponent: Alex Michelsen
Best US Open result: SF (2022, 2024)
Best Grand Slam result: SF (2022, 2024 US Open), QF (2019 Australian Open; 2023, 2026 US Open; 2025 French Open)
Sets won/lost: 12-2
Distance run: 28,729 feet
Time spent on court: 11:24
No one remaining in the draw seems to enjoy the US Open more than Tiafoe, who feeds off the energy of the pro-American crowd (as they feed off his). The 28-year-old is now into the quarterfinals in Flushing Meadows for the fourth time in his career, compared to twice at the other three majors combined. Most importantly, he is playing his best tennis since reaching the semis here two years ago, posting a runner-up finish in Cincinnati this summer and advancing to the 2026 US Open Elite Eight with the loss of only two sets (both in the first round to Martin Damm). He and quarterfinal opponent—and fellow American—Alex Michelsen have played twice before, with Tiafoe winning both matches in straight sets.
Alexander Blockx
Seed/Rank: 28/34
Next opponent: Karen Khachanov
Best US Open result: QF (2026)
Previous Best US Open result: N/A
Best Grand Slam result: QF (2026 US Open)
Previous best Grand Slam result: 2R (2026 French Open)
Sets won/lost: 12-3
Distance run: 36,637 feet
Time spent on court: 10:33
Blockx is quickly making a name for himself, poised to join the growing phalanx of rising stars in the men’s game. The 21-year-old Belgian was outside the Top 200 at year-end 2024 and outside the Top 100 at year-end 2025, but he has risen into the Top 30 on the strength of a breakout 2026. Notable results include a run to the final in Estoril, the semifinals in Madrid, and now, in his first taste of Grand Slam success, a trip to the US Open quarterfinals in his first main-draw appearance in Flushing Meadows. Blockx has earned his way to this stage, going four sets in each of his last three matches, the last two registered upsets over French Open finalist and No. 5 seed Flavio Cobolli and No. 24 seed Francisco Cerundolo. Next up is veteran Karen Kachanov in a battle of big hitters. Fun fact: Blocx has now played eight career Grand Slam singles matches; Khahcanov has played 118.
Alex Michelsen
Seed/Rank: --/46
Next opponent: No. 11 Frances Tiafoe
Best US Open result: QF (2026)
Previous best US Open result: 2R (2023-24)
Best Grand Slam result: QF (2026 US Open), 4R (2025 Australian Open)
Sets won/lost: 12-0
Distance run: 25,256 feet
Time Sspent on court: 8:50
One of the surprise entrants into the Elite Eight has also been the most dominant. The 22-year-old Californian is the only man left in the draw not to have surrendered a set through his first four matches, a run that includes upsets of No. 16 seed Brandon Nakashima—who entered the Open as one of the hottest players on tour—and No. 27 Tomas Martin Etcheverry. Michelsen is untested at this stage at a major, but he has excelled on hard courts this year, reaching the semifinals in Brisbane, the quarterfinals in Washington, D.C., and the fourth round in Indian Wells and Miami. And with relatively little tread on the tires so far—Michelsen has spent the least amount of time on court of any of the quarterfinalists, and three hours less than his quarterfinal opponent, Frances Tiafoe—he’ll be primed and ready for the biggest match of his career.
Karen Khachanov
Seed/Rank: --/50
Next opponent: No. 28 Alexander Blockx
Best US Open result: SF (2022 US Open)
Best Grand Slam result: SF (2022 US Open, 2023 Australian Open), QF (2019, 2023 French Open; 2021, 2025 Wimbledon)
Sets won/lost: 12-3
Distance run: 31,778 feet
Time spent on court: 10:52
Khachanov entered the 2026 US Open with the pedigree but not the results. The former Top-10 player and Olympic silver medalist—who has reached the quarterfinals or better at all four majors—came to New York on a four-match losing streak, including defeats in all three of his summer hard-court tuneups. But he has turned it around in Flushing Meadows. The 30-year-old was dominant in his first- and third-round victories, and he upset No. 3 seed Felix Auger-Aliassime in the second round and No. 14 Learner Tien in the fourth round in a five-set thriller. And suddenly, he has momentum and a decent draw: Next up is another rising star, Alexander Blockx, who is into the second week of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time.
Botic van de Zandschulp
Seed/Rank: --/70
Next opponent: No. 1 Alexander Zverev
Best US Open result: QF (2021, 2026)
Best Grand Slam result: QF (2021, 2026 US Open), 4R (2022 Wimbledon)
Sets won/lost: 12-4
Distance run: 45,733 feet
Time spent on court: 14:24
Van de Zandschulp may be the lowest-ranked of the eight men’s quarterfinalists, but he is no stranger to big moments. The Dutchman reached the quarterfinals in New York in his 2021 debut, climbed into the Top 30 in 2022 and defeated Rafael Nadal in the final match of Nadal’s career, in Davis Cup in 2024. It’s been an up-and-down season for van de Zandschulp, but he entered the Open playing good ball—advancing to the fourth round in Montreal, the third round in Cincinnati and the quarterfinals in Winston-Salem, and he reached the US Open Elite Eight behind upsets of No. 6 seed Alex de Minaur and No. 31 Zizou Bergs. The big question will be how much van de Zandschulp has left. He went five sets against Bergs and more than five hours in his fourth-round victory over Arthur Gea, and none of the eight men remaining has run more or spent more time on court.
