No Djokovic, Alcaraz or Shelton: Kim Clijsters makes surprise US Open winner prediction

Former Belgian tennis player Kim Clijsters has made a surprise pick for the US Open over favorites such as Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, and Ben Shelton.

Although Alcaraz has returned to the court, he is yet to reach his best levels after having stayed away from competition for more than four months and missing two Majors. With the absence of Sinner and Alcaraz not fully back at his top form, Clijsters stated that it is difficult to predict the winner. In her podcast All Love, the three-time US Open champion chose Cincinnati Open champion Arthur Fils over Djokovic, Shelton, and Alcaraz to win the US Open title.

She added that although the Frenchman could struggle with the physical demands of long matches, she believes that his impressive run in Cincinnati makes him a strong contender. Arthur Fils saw off Frances Tiafoe 6-3, 1-6, 6-0 to clinch the Cincinnati title.

Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka were highly anticipated to make a deep run in the mixed doubles event at the 2026 US Open. They took on Henry Patten and Katerina Siniakova in the first round of mixed doubles on Tuesday. Djokovic and Sabalenka were expected to win after leading the first set 4-1.

Patten and Siniakova fought back in the second set to win the first game, but trailed behind 2-1. They then won the next two games, taking a 3-2 lead and eventually winning the second set. The match went to a 10-point match tiebreak, which Patten and Siniakova won 10-2 to advance to the next round. How did Novak Djokovic meet Jelena Ristic? All about the most admired couples in tennis Your perspective matters! Start the conversation.