2024 US Open Women’s Draw Preview: Sabalenka, Swiatek, Gauff Favorites In New York
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Who’ll take charge at the US Open in the women’s draw? The women’s tour has lacked any player who can dominate on all surfaces.
Aryna Sabalaneka is arguably the best on the hard courts. She just won Cincinnati and took the last two Australian Open and made the US Open final last year. World No. 1 Iga Swiatek has struggled off clay in Slams and Coco Gauff has been stuck in a slump since her massive win last year.
Elena Rybakina has the goods but not the health, Jessica Pegula is in form but is 0-6 in Slam quarterfinals and Qinwen Zheng and Jasmine Paolini are new threats.
Bottom line, someone is going to win and someone is likely going to win their first US Open.
Top seeds are: 1 Iga Swiatek, 2 Aryna Sabalenka, 3 Coco Gauff, 4 Elena Rybakina, 5 Jasmine Paolini, 6 Jessica Pegula, 7 Qinwen Zheng, 8 Barbora Krejcikova, 9 Maria Sakkari, 10 Jelena Ostapenko, 11 Danielle Collins, 12 Daria Kasatkina, 13 Emma Navarro, 14 Madison Keys, 15 Anna Kalinskaya, 16 Liudmila Samsonova.
IGA SWIATEK QUARTER
Seeds: 1 Swiatek, 6 Pegula, 11 Collins, 16 Samsonova, 18 Shnaider, 21 Andreeva, 25 Pavlyuchenkova, 31 Boulter
Floaters: Cocciaretto, Bouzkova, Martic, Schmiedlova, Tauson, Kenin, Dolehide, Raducanu
Notable openers: Iga Swiatek-Kamilla Rakhimova, Emma Raducanu-Sofia Kenin, Shelby Rogers-Jessica Pegula
Projected 3R matches: 1 Swiatek – 25 Pavlyuchenkova, 21 Andreeva – 16 Samsonova, 11 Collins – 18 Shnaider, 31 Boulter – 6 Pegula
Notes: While Swiatek is and has been No. 1, off clay in Slams she’s been far from the best with early losses at the Australia and Wimbledon, and at the US Open last year. This draw, however, looks excellent out to the quarterfinals where she’ll likely face an American in either Jessica Pegula or Danielle Collins. Pegula just made back-to-back finals in Canada and Cincinnati, winning in Toronto. But the 30-year-old is 0-6 in Slam quarters. Former champion Emma Raducanu is also in the section plus the rising Diana Shnaider.
ELENA RYBAKINA QUARTER
Seeds: 4 Rybakina, 5 Paolini, 10 Ostapenko, 15 Kalinskaya, 22 Haddad Maia, 23 Fernandez, 28 Garcia, 30 Putintseva
Floaters: Muchova, Pliskova, Potapova, Noskova, Andreescu, Avanesyan, Volynets, Osaka
Notable openers: Caroline Wozniacki-Nao Hibino, Beatriz Haddad Maia-Elina Avanesyan, Jelena Ostapenko-Naomi Osaka, Anastasia Potapova-Leylah Fernandez, Mayar Sherif-Karolina Pliskova, Bianca Andreescu-Jasmine Paolini
Projected 3R matches: 4 Rybakina – 28 Garcia, 22 Haddad Maia – 15 Kalinskaya, 10 Ostapenko – 23 Fernandez, 30 Putintseva – 5 Paolini
Notes: The most open section seeks 2-time winner Naomi Osaka perhaps the favorite. But she faces Ostapenko in the first round! Rybakina has never done well at the US Open and after that it might just be another deep run for Paolini. The Italian has to face former champion Andreescu in the first round but overall, she’ll likely be favored in every match to the fourth round. Noskova could also cause a stir.
COCO GAUFF QUARTER
Seeds: 3 Gauff, 8 Krejcikova, 9 Sakkari, 13 Navarro, 19 Kostyuk, 20 Azarenka, 26 Badosa, 27 Svitolina,
Floaters: Kalinina, Blinkova, Stephens, Gracheva, Maria, Burel, Trevisan, Parry, Dodin, Townsend, Golubic
Notable openers: Clara Burel-Sloane Stephens, Emma Navarro-Anna Blinkova, Ana Bogdan-Arantxa Rus, Varvara Gracheva-Coco Gauff
Projected 3R matches: 8 Krejcikova – 26 Badosa, 20 Azarenka – 9 Sakkari, 13 Navarro – 19 Kostyuk, 27 Svitolina – 3 Gauff
Notes: In her biggest title defense of her career, Gauff will have a tough road if she hopes to repeat. The 20-year-old will have to contend with Gracheva to start — she just took a set of Swiatek earlier this month — and then possible face Svitolina and the countrywoman who knocked her out of Wimbledon, Navarro. Badosa and Azarenka also lurk as potential quarterfinal foes for Coco.
ARYNA SABALENKA QUARTER
Seeds: 2 Sabalenka, 7 Zheng, 12 Kasatkina, 14 Keys, 24 Vekic, 29 Alexandrova, 32 Yastremska, 33 Mertens
Floaters: Kudermetova, Linette, Tsurenko, Siniakova, Stearns, Bronzetti, Tomljanovic, Niemeier, Siegemund, Anisimova
Notable openers: Qinwen Zheng-Amanda Anisimova, Peyton Stearns-Lesia Tsurenko, Jaqueline Cristian-Daria Kasatkina, Madison Keys-Katerina Siniakova, Veronika Kudermetova-Elise Mertens, Priscilla Hon-Aryna Sabalenka
Projected 3R matches: 7 Zheng – 32 Yastremska, 24 Vekic – 12 Kasatkina, 14 Keys – 33 Mertens, 29 Alexandrova – 2 Sabalenka
Notes: Keys might be the only player capable of stopping Sabalenka from another US Open semifinal. That collision would take place in the fourth round. Otherwise, Sabalenka should be a solid pick to make the last four. The gold medalist Zheng faces Anisimova in the fabulous day one opener. And the winner might end up against Sabalenka.
The projected quarterfinals:
1 Swiatek – 6 Pegula
4 Rybakina – 5 Paolini
8 Krejcikova – 3 Gauff
7 Zheng – 2 Sabalenka
Former champions: Swiatek, Raducanu, Osaka(2), Andreescu, Stephens, Gauff,
Former finalists: Wozniacki(2), Fernandez, Pliskova, Azarenka(3), Keys, Sabalenka
Last year, (6) Coco Gauff defeated (2) Aryna Sabalenka 2-6 6-3 6-2.
LAST 10 US OPEN CHAMPIONS/FINALS
2023 Coco Gauff d Aryna Sabalenka 2-6, 6-3, 6-2
2022 Iga Swiatek d Ons Jabeur 6-2, 7-6(5)
2021 Emma Raducanu d Leylah Fernandez 6-4, 6-3
2020 Naomi Osaka d Victoria Azarenka 1-6, 6-3, 6-3
2019 Bianca Andreescu d Serena Williams 6-3, 7-5
2018 Naomi Osaka d Serena Williams 6-2, 6-4
2017 Sloane Stephens d Madison Keys 6-3, 6-0
2016 Angelique Kerber d Karolina Pliskova 6-3, 4-6, 6-4
2015 Flavia Pennetta d Roberta Vinci 7-6(4), 6-2
2014 Serena Williams d Caroline Wozniacki 6-3, 6-3
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