'A generational icon' - why wildcards abound for Venus Williams

Carlos Alcaraz, the defending champion, will begin his quest to retain his U.S. Open title against Roman Safiullin. Alcaraz, who has been sidelined with a wrist injury since the French Open and Wimbledon, will make his first singles appearance since April. Safiullin, who defeated Alcaraz at the ATP Masters 1000 in Paris in 2023, advanced to the fourth round at Wimbledon, where he lost to Novak Djokovic.

The draw for men's singles also included a potential match between Serena Williams and Venus Williams, which could have taken place had Serena chosen to play. Instead, Venus Williams faced Sofia Kenin, who replaced the 46-year-old Venus Williams in the singles draw after the elder Williams opted to compete in doubles. The women's singles draw also featured some intriguing matchups, including the potential showdown between Venus Williams and Kenin.

Other potential fourth-round matches include Elena Rybakina vs. Linda Noskova, Jessica Pegula vs. Karolina Muchova, Coco Gauff vs. Mirra Andreeva, and Arthur Fils vs. Stefanos Tsitsipas.