2016 U.S. Open begins in New York

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published 29 August 2016

The 2016 U.S. Open begins Monday with Serena Williams and Novak Djokovic as top seeds going into the tournament.

With 12 Grand Slam titles already under his belt, Djokovic has had a bit of a rough summer, losing in the third round of Wimbledon and the first round in the Rio Olympics. He'll be challenged by Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal, and Juan Martin del Porto in Queens.

The women's competition will also be tight, with the unseeded Monica Puig — who won gold at the Rio Olympics — poised to make a run. Venus Williams, a two-time champion and the No. 6 seed, could also break into the finals. Still, FiveThirtyEight gives Serena Williams with a 55 percent chance of winning the tournament, which would be her 23rd Grand Slam victory and make her the winningest Grand Slam player in Open-era history. (The record is currently held by Steffi Graf, who won 22 Grand Slam titles.)

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.

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