New York, Aug. 24 -- The withdrawal of world No. 1 Jannik Sinner with a right knee injury has dramatically opened up the men's draw at the US Open, with defending champion Carlos Alcaraz emerging as the leading contender despite returning from a four-month injury layoff.
Alcaraz, who has not played competitive tennis since April because of a right wrist injury, confirmed his return to New York last week. Sinner, meanwhile, pulled out of the season's final Grand Slam less than 24 hours later, removing the Spaniard's biggest rival from the tournament.
Alcaraz, who won his second US Open title last year, has captured two of the last four editions of the tournament and shared the previous nine Grand Slam titles with Sinner before Alexander Zv...