The US Open enters its opening week with a twist that has generated unusual attention: Serena Williams returns to the National Tennis Center courts, this time paired with Carlos Alcaraz in mixed doubles. The pairing headlines a day that also features top seeds Aryna Sabalenka and Novak Djokovic, alongside continuing qualifying rounds for the men's and women's singles draws.
Founded in 1881, the US Open trails only Wimbledon as the second-oldest event on the Grand Slam calendar, and like the Australian Open, it's played on hard courts rather than grass or clay. For fans abroad or those who've cut the cord, accessing live coverage requires some planning, particularly since ESPN holds exclusive broadcast rights in the United States, mirroring its arrangement with Wimbledon. International viewers, or anyone hoping to bypass regional restrictions, often turn to a virtual private network to reach coverage available in other countries; services offering a reliable vpn for india connection have become a common workaround for reaching geo-blocked broadcasts on platforms like 9Now.
How to Watch Without Cable
Streaming has largely replaced traditional cable for live coverage, and several platforms now bundle ESPN into their sports packages. DirecTV's base package starts at $59.99 for the first month and includes ESPN Unlimited, while the standalone ESPN Unlimited service runs $29.99 monthly for live and archived programming. Fubo carries ESPN within its Sports plan at $55.99 per month, Sling's Essentials tier includes the channel for $19.99, and YouTube TV's Sports Plan runs $64.99 monthly. Sling also offers a $4.99 Day Pass for viewers who only want to catch a single session rather than commit to a subscription.
For those relying on a VPN to reach international streams, the process is straightforward in principle: subscribe to a streaming-compatible VPN service, install the application on your device, connect to a server in the relevant country, and then access the local streaming platform. ExpressVPN is frequently cited for its broad server network, which makes location spoofing more reliable, though users should understand that VPNs encrypt and reroute traffic through a server elsewhere, effectively changing where a platform believes the request originates. This doesn't guarantee uninterrupted access, since streaming services actively detect and block known VPN IP ranges, but it remains a widely used method.
A Deep Field and a Packed Schedule
This year's draw includes 17 former Grand Slam singles champions, ten of them past US Open winners. Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz, and Novak Djokovic anchor the men's field, while Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina, and American Jessica Pegula lead the women's rankings. The mixed doubles lineup is similarly stacked, featuring Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud, Jessica Pegula and Jack Draper, and Taylor Townsend paired with Alexander Zverev. Venus Williams will compete alongside Alexander Bublik, giving the Williams sisters a notable joint presence in this year's event.
The qualifying rounds run August 24 through 27, with mixed doubles matches also beginning August 24. Singles competition spans August 30 through September 13, while doubles, junior, and wheelchair events fill out the middle and closing weeks. The United States leads all nations with 28 players in the main draw, including Coco Gauff, Amanda Anisimova, Ben Shelton, and Taylor Fritz. Roger Federer, though not competing officially, will appear in an exhibition on August 25 with Andy Roddick, Andre Agassi, and John McEnroe, while a group of rising names, including João Fonseca, Alexandra Eala, and Learner Tien, will feature in separate exhibition matches on August 27.
