The 10 Biggest Upsets of the 2026 US Open Ranked

This year’s draw fell apart at a historic rate, producing a plethora of upsets that many fans weren’t expecting. Ultimately, six of the men’s top eight seeds were knocked out by the time the semifinals arrived. On the women’s side, upsets didn’t come in the same volume, but there were still a few shocking outcomes regardless. Here’s every notable singles upset from the 2026 US Open, ranked by how much each one shook up the draw.

1. Mariano Navone def. No. 4 Novak Djokovic

The biggest upset of the tournament came in the very first round, when 24-time major champion Novak Djokovic fell to Mariano Navone 7-6(5), 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1. The match lasted 4 hours and 36 minutes and ended his 78-match first-round winning streak at Grand Slams. This was the first time since the 2006 Australian Open that Djokovic had been eliminated in the first round of a major.

Djokovic vomited courtside multiple times during the match and appeared to physically break down in its final stages. Many fans viewed the result as a sign that Father Time is finally catching up to the legend, leaving his hopes of a 25th major title looking questionable.

2. No. 8 Ben Shelton def. No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz

American Ben Shelton ended World No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz’s title defense in the quarterfinals, winning 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6(10-7) in a back-and-forth match that didn't finish until 3:33 a.m., making it the latest conclusion in tournament history. The US Open marked the first tournament back from injury for Alcaraz, who missed more than four months with a wrist injury.

Alcaraz looked dominant in the first few rounds of the tournament, despite many fans questioning whether he was ready to return, but he eventually met his maker when facing Shelton’s speed and power. The upset snapped Alcaraz's 18-match winning streak at majors and ended his chances of repeating as champion in New York. However, it also gave American fans hope that Shelton might bring the men’s singles title home for the first time in over two decades.

3. Qinwen Zheng def. No. 8 Iga Swiatek

On the women’s side of the draw, unseeded qualifier Qinwen Zheng defeated No. 8 seed Iga Swiatek 7-5, 6-3 in a surprising fourth-round upset. This made Zheng the first qualifier to reach the US Open quarterfinals since Emma Raducanu in 2021, and the first qualifier or lucky loser ever to beat Swiatek at a Grand Slam.

Zheng trailed 0-5 in the first set before storming back to win 7-5, 6-3. “I felt like I started missing too many shots, she started playing, and I let her back into the match,” Swiatek admitted afterward.

4. Karen Khachanov def. No. 3 Felix Auger-Aliassime

Karen Khachanov entered the tournament unseeded and ranked outside the top 40, but that didn’t stop him from taking down the No. 3 seed in the second round. Khachanov won 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 as Auger-Aliassime reportedly experienced dizziness and vision problems as the match wore on.

In the match, Khachanov broke serve seven times and saved seven of nine break points, controlling the final two sets as his opponent's movement declined. This was only Khachanov’s second career win over a top-10 opponent at a major, and he rode that momentum all the way to the semifinal.

5. Stefanos Tsitsipas def. No. 10 Arthur Fils

An unseeded Stefanos Tsitsipas took down No. 10 seed Arthur Fils in the first round, who came in fresh off a Masters 1000 title just eight days earlier in Cincinnati. The match ended 4-6, 7-6, 6-1, 6-4, and was a bit disappointing for Fils, who hoped to turn his first 1000 title into a promising run at the US Open.

Unfortunately, Fils has never reached a Grand Slam quarterfinal and has been repeatedly derailed by injury at majors over the past two years, including retirements at the 2025 Australian Open and Roland Garros.

6. Dane Sweeny def. No. 13 Lorenzo Musetti

Australian wildcard Dane Sweeny dropped the first set 3-6 before coming back to win 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 against No. 13 Lorenzo Musetti. Musetti struggled with movement issues and took an off-court medical timeout during the third set, with Sweeny ending it in straight sets.

This marked arguably the biggest win of the Australian's career, saying afterward, “I’m just grateful to be even able to compete in Grand Slams… The tennis journey is such a rollercoaster.”

7. Botic van de Zandschulp def. No. 6 Alex de Minaur

Unseeded Botic van de Zandschulp beat No. 6 Alex de Minaur 6-4, 7-5, 6-2 in the second round, marking his first career win over the Australian and his second top-10 win in two weeks. Van de Zandschulp credited his serve as the difference maker, saying the match required him to stay mentally there throughout.

This was the start of a deep run for the Dutchman, who made it all the way to the quarterfinals before falling to eventual finalist Alexander Zverev.

8. No. 24 Francisco Cerundolo def. No. 9 Taylor Fritz

The 24th-seeded Francisco Cerundolo rallied from two sets and a break down to beat Taylor Fritz 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 in a three-hour, 39-minute third-round battle. He saved three break points from 0-40 at 3-4 in the fifth set before closing it out.

The result was surprising given Fritz’s history at the US Open, and this is the earliest that Fritz has lost at the tournament since a first-round exit in 2022, following a run to the finals in 2024.

9. Yulia Putintseva def. No. 12 Belinda Bencic

Yulia Putintseva was unseeded at the US Open this year, but that didn’t stop her from rallying from a set down to win 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 in a nearly three-hour battle versus No. 12 Belinda Bencic. The victory marked her first win over a top-20 opponent since defeating Diana Shnaider at Adelaide in 2025.

Putintseva hit six aces and won 81% of her net points along the way, joking afterward in her on-court interview that it felt “like Andy Roddick woke up in me.”

10. Kamilla Rakhimova def. No. 27 Barbora Krejcikova

Unseeded and ranked No. 92, Kamilla Rakhimova sprang the tournament’s first big upset, beating two-time Grand Slam champion Barbora Krejcikova 7-6(4), 6-2 in the first round. It was Rakhimova’s first career win over Krejcikova in two prior meetings, a result she called the best of her season.

By the end of the tournament, six of the men’s top eight seeds were eliminated, while the women’s draw saw the opposite trend entirely, with all four top seeds reaching the semifinals for the first time since 1975.

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