Kazakhstan's Alexander Bublik continues to slide in the world rankings. According to the latest ATP rankings released today, he now holds the 16th spot. Having skipped tournaments in Montreal and Cincinnati, the player has dropped five places compared to last week, reports infohub.kz.

Moreover, a promising mixed doubles partnership at the 2026 US Open has fallen apart. The duo of Venus Williams and Alexander Bublik will not compete in the mixed doubles event, which starts tonight. The 46-year-old American suffered an injury shortly before the tournament. Notably, her younger sister, 44-year-old Serena Williams, will still participate in mixed doubles, partnering with Spain's Carlos Alcaraz.

Elena Rybakina will also miss the mixed doubles, which carries a prize fund of one million dollars, after injuring her Achilles tendon at the Cincinnati tournament. Whether the world No. 2 will be able to compete in singles will be known by August 27, when the US Open 2026 draw takes place.

This week, only one major ATP 250 tournament is scheduled, in Winston-Salem, USA. Kazakhstani players will not take part. Bublik, Alexander Shevchenko, and our juniors prefer to prepare for the major through training.

The US Open is an annual Grand Slam tennis tournament on hard courts, being the last of the four majors in the calendar year. Traditionally, the US Open begins on the last Monday of August. However, for the second consecutive year, the event starts a week earlier due to the scheduling of the mixed doubles.

The US Open 2026 will take place from August 23 to September 13. The total prize money will be $108 million, a record for Grand Slam tournaments. The tournament was first held in August 1881. In addition to the five main draws, the event also features matches for veterans, juniors, and wheelchair players. Since 1978, matches have been held at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, Queens, New York.

The defending champions in the main draws are the aforementioned Carlos Alcaraz and Belarus's Aryna Sabalenka.