Defending Champ Carlos Alcaraz Could Face Jannik Sinner In US Open Quarter-Finals

Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz could face a quarter-final rematch against Jannik Sinner at the US Open, with former champion Daniil Medvedev also in the top half of the men's draw released on Thursday. The final Grand Slam of the season, which starts on Monday, will see three-time champion Novak Djokovic returning to Flushing Meadows after missing last year because of travel restrictions over his refusal to be vaccinated against Covid-19. The Serbian star, seeded second behind Alcaraz, faces Alexandre Muller of France in the first round and a victory in that match will assure the 23-time Grand Slam champion of a return to number one in the world regardless of Alcaraz's performance in a tournament that will culminate with the men's final on September 10.

Alcaraz will open his title defense against Germany's Dominik Koepfer.

In 2022, Alcaraz defeated Italy's Sinner in a marathon five-set quarter-final which set a record for the latest ever finish at the tournament of 2:50 in the morning.

Sinner, seeded sixth, faces a potentially tricky path to the quarters with Alexander Zverev and Grigor Dimitrov joined by former US Open champions Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka in the same section of the draw.

Alcaraz, meanwhile, is seeded to meet 26th seed Dan Evans in the third round and Cameron Norrie in the fourth as he chases a third Grand Slam title and a second straight after his triumph at Wimbledon.

Slumping Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime is Djokovic's projected fourth-round opponent while Greek seventh seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, beaten by Djokovic in the Australian Open final, could get a rematch against the Serb in the quarters if he can make it past the third round for the first time.

Medvedev, who lifted the trophy in 2021 to