US Open preview: Americans out to disrupt Swiatek and Sabalenka's battle for No 1
- James Richardson
- 24 August 2023
Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka cannot afford to take their eye off the rest of the US Open field as they battle for the No 1 ranking.
Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff have sounded a warning on behalf of the home contingent ahead of the US Open which will also stage the battle for the WTA No 1 slot.
Iga Swiatek will know during the tournament what she needs to do to hold her ranking but she is likely to be focused on defending her title and winning a fifth Grand Slam.
Swiatek, who lost to Gauff in Cincinnati last week, could face the American again in the last eight of the US Open.
Swiatek's championship defense starts against unheralded Swede Rebecca Peterson.
Gauff meanwhile opens against a qualifier and might face rising 16-year-old Mirra Andreeva in the second round. Gauff is yet to lose to a player younger than her in four meetings.
The top quarter is set to be highly competitive and might also feature a Round of 64 clash between double Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, the No 11 seed, and former World No 1 Caroline Wozniacki, who is returning to the sport after a three year absence.
Former Grand Slam finalists Danielle Collins and Jennifer Brady are also hovering in a top quarter fraught with danger for Swiatek and the other seeds.
If Swiatek can get beyond Gauff she may face 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina in the last four, should seeding prove prophetic.
Rybakina will open her campaign against an unseeded but quite highly ranked player in world No 37 Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine.
No 8 seed Maria Sakkari and No 10 Karolina Muchova are also in that quarter and could meet prior to a last eight clash with Rybakina.
Also lurking in Rybakina's quarter are former world No 1 Victoria Azarenka and 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens.
Anchoring the draw is Aryna Sabalenka who is out to move up from being the long-time No 2 to Swiatek.
Sabalenka has chipped away at Swiatek's advantage and could secure the spot even if she doesn't go all the way.
She won't be preoccupied by the thought of a possible final against Swiatek or semi-final against Pegula just yet though given that she too finds herself in a tricky quarter.
Sabalenka could be in for a quarterfinal rematch with Ons Jabeur, who beat the Belarussian in the last four at Wimbledon.
Karolina Pliskova could be a third round obstacle for Sabalenka if seeding holds in their quarter, while Donna Vekic, Daria Kasatkina are the seeds who could progress to meet the world No 2 in the last 16.
Sabelenka has only lost once in five meetings with Pegula, but the American has the motivation and confidence to finally snap her Grand Slam quarter-final losing run.
Pegula will start her US Open tilt against Camila Giorgi of Italy with the American holding a healthy 8-2 lead in the head-to-head between the players.
Elina Svitolina, who has been turning heads since her return to the WTA Tour from maternity leave, could be the first fellow seed that Pegula meets in the third round.
Caroline Garcia, a 2022 US Open semi-finalist, has been drawn as a potential quarter-final opponent for Pegula in a match that could be career-defining for the American.
Pegula and Gauff have their chance to show that American tennis can have its say in directing the women's game and compete with Grand Slam champions, Swiatek, Sabalenka and Rybakina.
