Women's Tennis: Who Will Rise at the U.S. Open?

The U.S. Open women's field is wide open due to injuries, slumps, and the absence of a dominant player like Serena Williams. Contenders include Coco Gauff, Qinwen Zheng, Jasmine Paolini, and Elena Rybakina. Gauff leads a strong American presence, but predicting a winner is challenging.

Injuries, slumps, and the lack of a formidable tennis force like Serena Williams have left the women's field at the U.S. Open wide open.

The last successful defense of the women's crown at the U.S. Open was Serena Williams' three-peat from 2012 to 2014. Defending champion Coco Gauff faces an uphill battle to continue this trend, given her recent bumpy streak.

"On the women's side, it is very open," said six-time U.S. Open champion turned ESPN tennis analyst Chris Evert. "It's been a long year and everyone's getting a little tired. It's hard to predict a winner with any conviction."

Olympic gold medalist and world No. 7 Qinwen Zheng aims to build on her Paris Games clay court triumph and her historic singles title win over top-ranked Iga Swiatek. A quarter-finals appearance in the 2023 U.S. Open and a runner-up finish in the Australian Open testify to her prowess on hard courts.

A victory in New York would mark Zheng as China's best singles player since two-time major champion Li Na. Jasmine Paolini's women's doubles gold with Sara Errani in Paris eased the sting of her singles defeat by unseeded Ana Bogdan. Now, Paolini is keen to clinch her first Grand Slam singles title after runner-up finishes at Wimbledon and Roland Garros this year.

Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina, the world No. 4, aims for her second Grand Slam title after her 2022 Wimbledon win. Despite her struggles on the U.S. Open's hard courts, Rybakina looks to rebound from recent setbacks and leverage her robust summer performance.

The American contingent is notably strong, with five players ranked in the top 15 globally. Sixth-ranked Jessica Pegula aims to bounce back from a runner-up finish in Cincinnati. Danielle Collins, ranked 11th, will be playing in her final Grand Slam before retirement.

(With inputs from agencies.)