The ARCHV / Tennis / Question Desk

Tennis · Question Desk

Question Desk

The tennis desk, one answered question a day. The question fans are asking about the tour, checked against two independent sources before it goes up.

• Friday · 4 September 2026 · 2 min readCan Aryna Sabalenka win a third straight US Open?She is through to the third round as defending champion and world number one. No woman has won three consecutive US Open singles titles since Serena Williams took the 2012, 2013 and 2014 editions.
• Thursday · 3 September 2026 · 2 min readWho is Mariano Navone, the player who knocked Novak Djokovic out of the 2026 US Open?A 25-year-old Argentine, unseeded, who won his first ATP singles title in April 2026. He beat Djokovic 7-6(5), 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 in the first round on 30 August, ending a 19-0 record.
• Wednesday · 2 September 2026 · 2 min readDid Gael Monfils win on his 40th birthday at the 2026 US Open?He did, beating Adolfo Daniel Vallejo in four sets on 1 September to become the oldest man to win a US Open main-draw match since Jimmy Connors in 1992. It is his last Grand Slam.
• US Open, day two · 1 September 2026 · 1 min readHas Novak Djokovic ever lost in the first round of the US Open?Not in twenty previous main draws. Mariano Navone of Argentina, the world number 49, ended that on Sunday night at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
• Monday · 31 August 2026 · 2 min readHow did Venus Williams's 2026 US Open end?Sofia Kenin beat Venus Williams 6-2, 7-6(6) in the first round, finishing at 2:01am on Monday 31 August, the latest first-round finish in the tournament's history. Williams is 46 and it was her 26th US Open.
• Sunday · 30 August 2026 · 2 min readWhen does Venus Williams play at the 2026 US Open?Tonight, second match of the night session on Arthur Ashe Stadium, after Novak Djokovic opens against Mariano Navone from 7pm ET. Venus Williams, 46 and on a wild card, faces Sofia Kenin.
• Saturday · 29 August 2026 · 2 min readWho plays on day one of the 2026 US Open?Novak Djokovic opens against Mariano Navone on Sunday, chasing a 25th Grand Slam title nobody has ever reached. Jessica Pegula and Daniil Medvedev take Arthur Ashe Stadium's day and evening headline slots.
• Friday · 28 August 2026 · 2 min readHow did the 2026 US Open women's draw fall for Aryna Sabalenka?The draw made on Thursday put the defending champion in the top half with Jessica Pegula, and stacked Elena Rybakina, Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek together in the bottom half. Play starts Sunday 30 August.
• Thursday · 27 August 2026 · 2 min readAlexander Zverev and Aryna Sabalenka are the top seeds at the 2026 US OpenThe singles draws are made on Thursday 27 August at Flushing Meadows. Seedings come from the 24 August rankings, and the men's world No.1 is not in the field.
• Monday · 24 August 2026 · 2 min readWhen does the 2026 US Open start?The main draw begins on Sunday 30 August at Flushing Meadows and runs to the men's singles final on Sunday 13 September. Qualifying starts today, and the draw is made on Thursday.
• Saturday · 22 August 2026 · 2 min readWhy is Jannik Sinner missing the 2026 US Open?A right knee injury. The world number one withdrew on 21 August, eight days before the main draw begins, and has not played a competitive match since defending his Wimbledon title in July.
• Wednesday 19 August 2026 · 19 August 2026 · 1 min readWho came through the third round at the 2026 Cincinnati Open?Felix Auger-Aliassime needed 87 minutes. Brandon Nakashima needed three saved match points and the small matter of the fourth seed.
• Friday · 14 August 2026 · 2 min readWho won on day one of the 2026 Cincinnati Open?Martin Landaluce beat Jack Draper in straight sets in the upset of the opening day in Mason, Ohio, all 32 seeds had first-round byes, and Thiago Agustin Tirante set up a second-round meeting with Novak Djokovic.
• Wednesday · 12 August 2026 · 2 min readWhy are Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz missing the Cincinnati Open?Jannik Sinner has withdrawn from the 2026 Cincinnati Open with a right knee injury, and Carlos Alcaraz remains out with a wrist injury. The Masters 1000 starts on Thursday 13 August without the world's top two.
• Sunday · 9 August 2026 · 2 min readHow have the Canadians done at the 2026 National Bank Open?Bianca Andreescu went out in the first round in Toronto. Katherine Sebov became the first Canadian winner of the 2026 tournament, and Kayla Cross won her first WTA Tour match.
• Saturday · 8 August 2026 · 2 min readWhen does the 2026 Cincinnati Open start, and what happens before the main draw?The 2026 Cincinnati Open runs from 8 to 23 August. Today is the first day of the event, qualifying begins on 11 August, the main draw follows, and both singles finals are on Sunday 23 August.
• Tuesday · 4 August 2026 · 2 min readWhy is Felix Auger-Aliassime seeded second in Montreal?Felix Auger-Aliassime is seeded second at the 2026 National Bank Open in Montreal, the first time in his career he has been seeded that high at a Masters 1000 tournament.
• Monday · 3 August 2026 · 2 min readWhat happened in Venus Williams' first match at the 2026 National Bank Open?Venus Williams lost her opening match in Toronto to Kamila Rakhimova. Katherine Sebov gave Canada its first win of the 2026 National Bank Open.
• Saturday · 1 August 2026 · 1 min readBen Shelton defends a Masters 1000 title in a draw missing the world's top three.Ben Shelton returns to the 2026 National Bank Open in Montreal as defending champion and fifth seed, with Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic all absent.
• Friday · 31 July 2026 · 2 min readJannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz have all pulled out of MontrealThe 2026 National Bank Open draw was made on 31 July with three of the biggest names in the men's game absent. Alexander Zverev is the top seed and Felix Auger-Aliassime is seeded second, the highest a Canadian has ever been seeded at the tournament.
• Thursday · 30 July 2026 · 2 min readWhy is Jannik Sinner the man to beat at the 2026 National Bank Open?World number one Jannik Sinner heads to Montreal for the 2026 National Bank Open unbeaten in ATP Masters 1000 events this season, in a field containing 71 of the ATP Tour's top 72 players.
• Wednesday · 29 July 2026 · 2 min readWhen does the 2026 National Bank Open start, and why are the men and women in different cities?The 2026 National Bank Open runs from 1 to 13 August, with the women in Toronto at Sobeys Stadium and the men in Montreal at IGA Stadium. The draws are made on Friday 31 July and main draw play begins on Sunday 2 August.
• Tuesday · 28 July 2026 · 1 min readHow did Frances Tiafoe lose in the first round of his home tournament?Frances Tiafoe was beaten in three sets by Terence Atmane at the DC Open in Washington. It is his earliest exit there since 2021.
• Sunday · 26 July 2026 · 2 min readWhy has Venus Williams been given a wild card in Toronto?Venus Williams is 46, ranked outside the top 400, and has not won a match in 2026. The National Bank Open has put her in the main draw anyway.
• Saturday · 25 July 2026 · 1 min readHow did a wildcard ranked 114 reach the Wimbledon semi-finals?Arthur Fery went from 114 in the world to a Wimbledon semi-final and a career-high ranking of 36. He grew up in Wimbledon.
• Friday · 24 July 2026 · 2 min readWill Alcaraz be fit to defend his US Open title?He is entered and the wrist is reported healed, but he has not played a match since April.