The US Open begins Monday and defending champions Coco Gauff and Novak Djokovic are both in the draw. But are either of them the favorite, with Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek and so many others in the mix? We asked our experts:
Who will win the women’s singles title, and why?
Bill Connelly: This is a strange draw. So many of the best players are either battling rough patches of form or coming off of injuries. Granted, “failing to win three tournaments in a row (while still winning 10 matches in them)” is what constitutes a rough patch for Swiatek, but her comprehensive loss to Sabalenka in the Cincinnati semifinals made me think maybe Sabalenka is the player to beat.
Sabalenka rolled through four top-30 opponents without dropping a set, and she not only beat Swiatek 6-3, 6-3, she dominated. She created 15 break points to Swiatek’s six, she broke serve in five of nine Swiatek service games, and while her serve wasn’t 100%, it was more than good enough.
Sabalenka’s draw’s not exactly an easy task, but if Madison Keys (her potential fourth-round opponent) isn’t 100% healthy, she might not get a strong test until the quarterfinals. A favorable draw for a three-time semifinalist (and one-time finalist) who’s also the most in-form of the elite players? That seems like a good combination.
Tom Hamilton: Sabalenka. And this will be a Sabalenka who is fired up after her recent batch of physical setbacks. She lost in the quarterfinals of Roland Garros to Mirra Andreeva while suffering with an illness, then was forced to withdraw from Wimbledon with a shoulder injury she picked up in Berlin and then stepped away from the Paris Olympics as she didn’t want to transition back to clay. So it’s full steam ahead for Sabalenka on the hard court, and having taken the Australian Open earlier this year on the same surface, she’ll look to conquer New York.
D’Arcy Maine: OK, sure, I agree that Sabalenka is absolutely the favorite at this point, and for good reason, but I’m going to go with Swiatek. Clearly disappointed by her bronze medal finish in Paris and likely motivated by that and her semifinal loss to Sabalenka in Cincinnati, it’s hard to think she won’t be on a mission to avenge the past few months and could very much win major title No. 6 in the process. Her path to the final certainly has its challenges — with Andreeva…
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