The start of the 2026 US Open is just over a week away, but where are Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina, Alex Eala and other WTA Tour stars set to be seeded?
Like at the other three Grand Slams, the singles main draws at the US Open feature 128 players — 32 of which are seeded.
The cutoff date for the seeded women at the US Open is Monday 24 August — which is the last time the WTA Rankings will be updated before the season’s final major begins.
Therefore, this week’s WTA 1000 tournament in Cincinnati is the final event from which ranking points will impact US Open seeding positions.
World No 17 Victoria Mboko would have been seeded at the US Open, but she has withdrawn due to a knee injury.
Aryna Sabalenka, who has held the WTA world No 1 ranking since October 2024, will be the top seed for the eighth consecutive Grand Slam tournament.
World No 2 Elena Rybakina could have been the top seed at Flushing Meadows if she reached the final in Cincinnati, but her quarter-final exit means she will be seeded second.
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Jessica Pegula, Coco Gauff and Mirra Andreeva will be seeded third, fourth and fifth respectively as they will not move in the WTA Rankings.
Linda Noskova and Karolina Muchova are currently set to be seeded sixth and seventh, while Iga Swiatek is projected to be the No 8 seed.
However, if Swiatek progresses to the final at the Cincinnati Open, she will climb to sixth in the WTA Rankings, overtaking Noskova and Muchova.
Marta Kostyuk is currently projected to be seeded 11th, but she can jump to ninth if she wins the title in Cincinnati.
As things stand, Alex Eala is set to climb to a new career-high ranking of 18th next week, which means she would be seeded 17th in New York given Mboko’s absence.
Madison Keys, who is currently 23rd in the Live WTA Rankings, could overtake Eala if she reaches the final in Cincinnati, while winning the title would move her up to 14th.
Sara Bejlek, who is projected to be seeded 30th, will face Keys in the Cincinnati quarter-finals, and she could jump to 17th if she secures the title.
Projected 2026 US Open WTA seedings (based on WTA Live Rankings)
1. Aryna Sabalenka
2. Elena Rybakina
3. Jessica Pegula
4. Coco Gauff
5. Mirra Andreeva
6. Linda Noskova
7. Karolina Muchova
8. Iga Swiatek
9. Elina Svitolina
10. Amanda Anisimova
11. Marta Kostyuk
12. Belinda Bencic
13. Naomi Osaka
14. Iva Jovic
15. Diana Shnaider
16. Sorana Cirstea
17. Alex Eala
18. Ekaterina Alexandrova
19. Anna Kalinskaya
20. Maja Chwalinska
21. Jasmine Paolini
22. Madison Keys
23. Elise Mertens
24. Anastasia Potapova
25. Marie Bouzkova
26. Emma Navarro
27. Barbora Krejcikova
28. Ann Li
29. Jelena Ostapenko
30. Sara Bejlek
31. Leylah Fernandez
32. Maria Sakkari
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