Defending champion and top seed Naomi Osaka and second seeded Ash Barty should not have too many problems pushing it to the second week after the 2019 US Open women’s draw revealed some other exciting matches.
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Last year’s champion and top seed Osaka will begin her US Open campaign when she faces up against 20-year-old Russian Anna Blinkova in the first round.
Osaka’s stature has grown in the last year and her Australian Open victory at the start of the year was a further proof that her triumph at US Open last year was not just a fluke, but her early-round exits from Wimbledon and French Open suggests that she has struggled to live up to the big expectations that come with being a Grand Slam champion.
After going through some tough time on the clay and the grass courts, coming back to the scene of her first major triumph and the comfort of her favourite hard courts, she is one of the favourites to go deep in the tournament this year as well.
Serena Williams, the losing finalist from the last year where she infamously clashed with the Portuguese chair umpire Ramos Carlos for which she was awarded a point and a game penalty, will be hoping to achieve a feat that she fell tantalizing short last year, that is to win seven US Open titles in the Open era moving past Chris Evert.
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She has a phenomenal 95-12 record at the event and despite not winning a single title this season her impressive 19-5 record this season means that she is undoubtedly one of the favourites to lift the trophy this season.
The only concern being her fitness, soon to be 38, Williams has only played in only one tournament since the Wimbledon, The Rogers Cup, where despite reaching the finals with strong showing she was retired hurt at the final hurdle.
Williams’ campaign begins with a blockbuster tie where she faces Maria Sharapova of Russia with both previous US Open Champions facing off against each other for the first time in the US Open.
Current Wimbledon champion Romanian Simona Halep is another one to watch out for this year’s title. Despite having an unspectacular 15-9 record at the event, she has had a solid season so far with a record of 39-12, and she will want to improve her US Open record when she begins her campaign when she faces a qualifier in the first round.
Another strong contender for this year is world number two Australian, Ashleigh Barty. She has been on a dream run this year where she has bagged her first-ever Grand Slam at the French Open earlier this year but also has a commanding 42-8 record this year with over US$5 million in the prize money.
The Australian will face Kazakhistan’s Zarina Dyas in the first round.
The dark horse of this year’s edition is likely to be Karolina Pliskova from the Czech Republic, despite having not won a single Grand Slam yet, the combination of her impressive form and her favourite surface of hard courts makes her a force to reckon with.
She has reached at least the quarter-finals in each of the last three editions at the Flushing Meadows with one final and two last eight appearances. 3rd seed Czech will start her campaign against Dianne Parry from France.
Some other exciting draws for the first round include the top half clash between ninth seed Aryna Sabalenka where the Belarusian will take on former world number one and fellow countrywoman Victoria Azarenka in the first round.
In the second quarter of top half, 24th seed Spaniard Garbine Muguruza will face in form American Alison Riske in the opening round whereas last year’s semifinalist and 12th seed Latvian Anastasija Sevastova will face former Wimbledon finalist Eugenie Bouchard.
In another cracking tie in the bottom half of the draw is between former US Open champion Angelique Kerber and two-time US Open doubles finalist Kristina Mladenovic.
The first round matches begin on Monday, August 26.
Potential Women’s Singles Fourth Round Matches:
Osaka v Bencic
Sabalenka v Bertens
Halep v Andreescu
Stephens v Kvitova
Svitolina v Keys
Konta v Pliskova
Serena v Sevastova
Kerber v Barty
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