NEW YORK, UNITED STATES – AUGUST 24: Daniil Medvedev of Russia reacts against Benjamin Bonzi of France during their Men’s Singles First Round match on Day One of the 2025 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on August 24, 2025, in Queens, New York City, USA (Photo by Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Anadolu via Getty Images
Players who lose their first-round singles draw match at the 2025 U.S. Open will take home a big cash prize, earning $110,000 for their participation.
The final Grand Slam of the year, which is played on hard courts, kicked off in New York on Sunday, as the first round of men’s and women’s singles matches took place.
Sixty-four men and 64 women will lose in the opening round, and one such player is the men’s 2021 champion Daniil Medvedev, who lost 6-3, 7-5, 6-7 (5/7) to France’s Benjamin Bonzi.
Russian 13th seed Medvedev and the other first-round losers at this year’s U.S. Open will take home $110,000 – nearly triple the $39,500 awarded to first-round losers in 2015 and more than seven times the $15,000 from 2005, according to Sportico.
The other Grand Slam tournaments, namely the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon, also awarded at least $80,000 each for first-round losses this year.
For winning a second-round singles match at the U.S. Open, players will take home $154,000, while a third-round win will fetch them $237,000. A fourth-round win will earn players $400,000 while the ultimate prize for lifting the title is $5 million.
Earlier this month, the U.S. Open announced that $90 million in prize money will be on offer, the largest purse in tennis history, up 20% from 2024.
Aryna Sabalenka is the defending women’s champion at the U.S. Open this year, while Jannik Sinner is the defending men’s champion.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/manasipathak-1/2025/08/25/us-open-2025-first-round-losers-to-take-home-110000/