By Aadi Nair
(Reuters) – With eight different women having lifted the U.S. Open trophy in the last nine years, the crowds at Flushing Meadows are well-accustomed to seeing pre-tournament favourites fail to deliver.
If the likes of defending champion Iga Swiatek, world number two Aryna Sabalenka and in-form American Coco Gauff falter in this year’s tournament, there are a handful of contenders ready to swoop in – chief among whom may be Elena Rybakina.
While her greatest success has come on grass, 2022 Wimbledon champion Rybakina’s style can be devastating on hard courts, as she showed in some key clashes with major rivals on the surface this year.
The 24-year-old beat Sabalenka in the Indian Wells final and got the better of Swiatek in straight sets at both the Australian Open and Indian Wells.
However, Rybakina has had her momentum disrupted by an injury, which forced her to pull out of the Cincinnati Masters, meaning doubts over her fitness will hang over the fourth-ranked Kazakh when she begins her U.S. Open campaign next week.
Maria Sakkari marked her 100th consecutive week in the top 10 of the women’s rankings earlier this month, but for all the Greek’s success in recent years, a Grand Slam title has eluded her.
Sakkari, who fell to Gauff in the Washington final this month, will continue her quest for a first major trophy at the U.S. Open, where she reached the semi-final in 2021.
“Starting the U.S. swing with a final and playing good tennis, it’s actually one of the few times I have done it, Sakkari told reporters after her defeat to Gauff. “So I believe it’s going to help me, but no one knows for sure.”
Caroline Garcia will be hoping to improve on her run to the semi-final at last year’s U.S. Open, though the Frenchwoman’s preparations have been far from ideal.
Garcia suffered first-round losses in Washington and Montreal, which were followed by a defeat to Sloane Stephens in her opening game in Cincinnati – where she was the defending champion.
CZECH CONTINGENT
The Czech Republic will have a strong contingent at the tournament with Marketa Vondrousova, Karolina Muchova, Petra Kvitova and Barbora Krejcikova ranked ninth through 12th in the WTA rankings.
Muchova will be feeling particularly confident, having reached the final of the Cincinnati Masters with wins over two top-10 ranked players — Sabalenka and Sakkari.
“Me and Marketa were last year outside of 200. It’s really nice,” Muchova told reporters. “Then there is another bunch of Czechs behind us. It’s nice to see that they’re doing great.”
Muchova’s compatriot Vondrousova will be hoping to build on her title-winning Wimbledon run, while two-time Wimbledon champion Kvitova is one of the most experienced players in the draw and will prove a tough test for any opponent.
The presence of former world number ones Venus Williams and Caroline Wozniacki, who have been given wild cards by organisers, adds another layer of unpredictability to the draw.
Wozniacki, who announced in June that she was coming out of retirement, has played three competitive matches since her return – winning one and losing two.
Seven-times Grand Slam winner Williams had looked in good nick, earning a win over 16th-ranked Veronika Kudermetova in Cincinnati, but withdrew from the Tennis in the Land tournament with a knee injury, leaving her U.S. Open participation in question.
The U.S. Open runs from Aug. 28 to Sept. 10.
(Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Toby Davis)
