This promises to be another exciting Grand Slam for the women.  Serena Williams leads the way as the favourite, but there are plenty of worthy contenders that could go all the way.  I have deliberated over and over again about my finalists… it’s possible I have over thought it 😛  The draw seems nicely balanced and there are some exciting potential matches to look forward to over the next two weeks.  Let’s take a look at the draw…

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Note: This post has been updated to include the placement of qualifiers

First Quarter: S.Williams (1) v A.Ivanovic (8)

Photo by Omar Boraby

SERENA WILLIAMS V TAYLOR TOWNSEND.  Sorry i’m a bit excited.  Serena and Taylor were one match away from playing each other in Cincinnati, but their first encounter will become a reality at the US Open.  If you haven’t already realised, i’m a huge fan of Townsend.  She is a tremendous talent and although it’s unlikely that she will beat Serena, I think Townsend can give the world number one a really tough encounter.  It’s sure to be a night match, but if the scheduling gods could put this on during the day, i’d be eternally grateful.  On the whole, Serena’s draw looks reasonable.  It is hard to analyse any of Serena’s draws because when she is playing well, she beats everyone.  The first seed she could play is Zhang Shuai.  The Chinese world number 33 has earnt her first ever seeding at a Grand Slam.  It is worth noting that she has NEVER won a main draw match, which could be good news for Mona Barthel, who she plays in the first round.

Sam Stosur and Carla Suarez Navarro are the other seeds in this eighth of the draw.  CSN plays Ajla Tomljanovic in the first round; Ajla is a talented player, but she hasn’t won a main draw match since reaching the last 16 of the French Open where, lo and behold, she lost to CSN.  Stosur has shown some positive signs in the last few weeks including reaching the semi-finals of New Haven.  As a former champion, the US Open will always be a special place for Sam.  A potential fourth round match between Sam and Serena on Arthur Ashe would be fascinating…

Ana Ivanovic has scooped a top eight seeding and with that, a pretty mega draw up to the quarters.  She has a potentially tricky opener against Alison Riske, but the rest of her draw looks like it *should* be relatively plain sailing for her. The first seed that Ivanovic could meet is Casey Dellacqua, who has lost her last three matches.  In the last 16, Ivanovic could meet Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (6-0 H2H record) or Flavia Pennetta (5-0 H2H record).  Pennetta is defending semi-final points and always saves her best tennis for the US Open.  Pennetta has reached five Grand Slam quarter-finals, of which four of them have come at the US Open.  In 2013 she secured the best result of her career, beating Sara Errani, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Simona Halep and Roberta Vinci en route to the semis.  Pennetta opens against Julia Goerges and will be the favourite to make the last 16 from her section.

1st Round Predictions: S.Williams d. Townsend in 2 tight sets, Schiavone d. King in 3 sets, Barthel d. Zhang in 2 sets, Stosur d. Davis in 2 sets, Vandeweghe d. Vekic in 2 sets, Suarez Navarro d. Tomljanovic in 2 sets, Pennetta d. Goerges in 3 sets, Garcia d. Gibbs in 3 sets, Pavlyuchenkova d. Pereira in 2 sets and Ivanovic d. Riske in 2 sets

Quarter-Final Prediction: S.Williams v Ivanovic

Second Quarter: P.Kvitova (3) v E.Bouchard (7)

The second quarter could feature a rematch of the 2014 Wimbledon final between Petra Kvitova and Eugenie Bouchard.  Kvitova has steadied the ship with some solid wins in New Haven after winning just one match through Montreal and Cincy.  Petra’s draw at the US Open though is pretty horrid.  In the first round, she will play Kristina Mladenovic.  Mladenovic knocked out Li Na in the first round of the French Open and it certainly feels like the kind of match-up that should be tagged with the upset alert.  I’d take Petra to come through, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Mladenovic sealed a shock win.  From the third round, Petra’s draw won’t get any easier as the first seed she could meet is Madison Keys.  Equipped with a big forehand and a big serve, Keys has plenty of weapons; however with weapons come inconsistencies and like Kvitova, Keys has the tendency to go off the boil.  She was unable to build any momentum through Montreal and Cincy, winning one match at each tournament and pushing Maria Sharapova to three sets in the latter.

Of all the potential match-ups on tour, i’ve been longing, willing and praying for a match between Kvitova and Victoria Azarenka.  The pair haven’t played since the final of the 2011 WTA Year-Ending-Championships when this match-up was tipped to be the new rivalry on the WTA tour.  Nearly three years on, we’re still waiting… the pair could meet in the fourth round of the US Open.  I’d be really surprised if it happens.  Azarenka has had a rollercoaster year, featuring mainly lows.  A foot injury took her off the tour between Miami and Roland Garros, and she hasn’t been able to settle on court since with a series of challenging draws.  To add to Vika’s woes, she picked up a knee injury in Montreal, which she played through for a couple of matches, but looked severely hampered with when she lost to Agnieszka Radwanska in the quarter-finals.  From pictures of practices, she still has the strapping and i’m not convinced she’s fully fit.

Azarenka’s first two matches are both winnable, even if she’s not at full fitness.  In the third round, she is seeded to meet Svetlana Kuznetsova.  Kuznetsova has had a good year, peaking on clay, but carrying some solid form into the US Open after winning DC and reaching the third round of Cincy where she lost out to the eventual finalist, Ana Ivanovic in three sets.  Kuznetsova is playing well enough to take out a struggling Vika.   It is worth noting that Azarenka will fall further in the rankings unless she repeats her final appearance from last year.  When she’s back to full fitness, Azarenka is going to cause absolute carnage in Premier draws where she will be unseeded.

Bouchard’s eighth of the draw is pretty dreamy.  It is just what she needed to help maintain what has been a super year at the Grand Slams.  Since Wimbledon, Bouchard has won just one match, beating Bojana Jovanovski in New Haven.  She lost in the second round to Sam Stosur, handily, 6-2 6-2.  In Canada, Bouchard looked like she was struggling to deal with the pressure for the first time.  This is completely understandable based on the avalanche of attention she has received this year.  I also think there may be some injury concerns too as she had her thigh strapped in New Haven.  It’s possible that this long, long season is starting to catch up with her.  In New York, Bouchard will play Olga Govortsova in the first round.  Bouchard has absolutely zoned at the Slams this year, but despite a good draw, I think this one is going to be a step too far.  Ekaterina Makarova has been in great form since Wimbledon, making the semi-finals of DC and Montreal, and she’s my tip to make the last eight from Genie’s section.

1st Round Predictions: Kvitova d. Mladenovic in 3 tight sets, Koukalova d. Cetkovska in 3 sets, Keys d. Gajdosova in 3 sets, Kuznetsova d. Erakovic in 2 tight sets, Scheepers d. McHale in 3 sets, Azarenka d. Doi in 2 sets, Diyas d. Tsurenko in 3 sets, Svitolina d. Hercog in 2 sets, Makarova d. Min in 2 sets, Zahlavova Strycova d. Barty in 2 tight sets, Niculescu d. Shvedova in 3 sets, Watson d. Cirstea in 3 sets and Bouchard d. Govortsova in 2 sets

Quarter-Final Prediction: Kuznetsova v Makarova

Third Quarter: A.Kerber (6) v A.Radwanska (4)

Angelique Kerber and Agnieszka Radwanska are the headline acts in the weakest of the four quarters.  Kerber’s first two matches will be against qualifiers before a potential third rounder against Kurumi Nara.  The most intriguing first round match from this section will feature Belinda Bencic against Yanina Wickmayer.  Bencic suffered a 6-0 6-0 loss to Caroline Wozniacki in Istanbul, but she won three matches to qualify for the main draw of New Haven and looks to be back on track.  For the third consecutive tournament, Sloane Stephens and Jelena Jankovic could play each other.  Their matches in Montreal and Cincy were both eventful, the first one taking three hours and 15 minutes and the second one, unstreamed, was tight with JJ coming through in two sets.  Both have favourable early draws so it’s a distinct possibility they could meet and one that would very much be welcomed.

The Montreal champion, Radwanska, has a nice draw in New York as she bids to reach her first US Open quarter-final.  Her first match of the tournament will be against Sharon Fichman.  The winner of an all-Chinese first round match between Peng Shuai and Zheng Jie would likely meet Aga in the second round.  This is the first time that Peng and Zheng have played since 2010.  Roberta Vinci is Radwanska’s first projected seed… I swear these two are magnetically attracted to each other in draws.

Wimbledon semi-finalist, Lucie Safarova is also in this eighth of the draw.  Last shout-out, but if you missed my special feature post on Lucie that I wrote earlier in the week, you can read it HERE.  Lucie has never made it past the third round of the US Open as she opens against Timea Babos.  At a new career best ranking of 15, Safarova has become much more efficient and reliable of late in beating players she is expected to beat.  Safarova is seeded to meet Alize Cornet, but don’t write off Daniela Hantuchova who has a winnable opener and an excellent H2H record over Cornet.  It is worth noting that Hantuchova is defending quarter-final points and faces a severe ranking drops if she falls early.  I nearly, nearly, nearly went for Lucie to reach the quarter-finals, but head over heart just ruled stronger in the end…

1st Round Predictions: Kerber d. Pervak in 2 sets, Bencic d. Wickmayer in 3 sets, Nara d. Wozniak in 2 tight sets, Stephens d. Beck in 2 sets, Knapp d. Pironkova in 3 sets, Jankovic d. Jovanovski in 2 sets (1 tight, 1 easy), Safarova d. Babos in 2 very tight sets, Hantuchova d. Oprandi in 2 sets, Cornet d. Hesse in 2 sets, Vinci d. Ormaechea in 2 sets, Peng d. Zheng in 3 sets and Radwanska d. Fichman in 2 sets

Quarter-Final Prediction: Kerber v Radwanska

Fourth Quarter: M.Sharapova (5) v S.Halep (2)

Photo by Omar Boraby

The fourth quarter is arguably the most intriguiung with the quartet of Simona Halep, Maria Sharapova, Caroline Wozniacki and Venus Williams.  I really, really, really, really, really didn’t want Halep v Sharapova in the quarters.  This is Halep’s most challenging Grand Slam draw of the year.  She played a couple of solid matches before falling to Sharapova in the quarter-finals of Cincy.  It’s fast becoming one of the best WTA rivalries and the pair have played three consecutive three setters, all of fluctuating quality, but all gripping and engaging in their entirety.  Halep’s first match of the week will be against a player I had to google… Danielle Rose Collins.  Danielle won the NCAA women’s singles title, earning her place in the main draw.  You can read more about her in this article by Rodney Page from the Tampa Bay Times HERE.  To reach the semi-finals, it is possible that from the third round, Halep *could* have to go through Garbine Muguruza, Venus Williams AND Maria Sharapova… that’s not easy.

As mentioned above, Halep could meet Venus Williams in the fourth round.  Venus opens against Kimiko Date-Krumm… the first thing that pops into my mind with these two is the sensational match they played at Wimbledon in 2011.  It’s a great early draw for Venus who is in the same section as Sara Errani.  As good as a draw it is for Venus, it’s a shocker for poor Sara.  Opening against Kirsten Flipkens, who reached the quarter-finals of New Haven, her reward if she won that match would be a second round meeting against Camila Giorgi. Giorgi would have to get past the qualifier, Anastasia Rodionova in what could be a hilarious first rounder.  If Errani and Giorgi meet, the thought of the Errani second serve and Giorgi’s ultra-aggressive return is a rather terrifying thought.  Magdalena Rybarikova did demonstrate in the New Haven semi-finals that variety can unsettle Giorgi, but i’m not sure Sara would have time to even try that if the pair were to neet!

Sharapova opens against Maria Kirilenko.  I still remember before my blogging days when I predicted Sharapova as my 2010 Australian Open champion, only to wake up to the news that she lost to Kirilenko in the first round.  I doubt that would happen again, but it’s an interesting match-up and one that Sharapova should be wary of.  There’s also a possible rematch for Sharapova with Sabine Lisicki in the third round.  Sabine has done well since Wimbledon, staying healthy and reaching the third round of both Montreal and Cincy, falling to Agnieszka Radwanska on both occasions.  Sharapova-Lisicki matches are always juicy and I think we’ll get it because Sabine has a beauty of a draw through the first two rounds.

Caroline Wozniacki is also worth a pretty solid mention after some excellent performances in Montreal and Cincy where she reached the quarter-finals and semi-finals respectively.  She opens against Magdalena Rybarikova, who she defeated in straight sets in her first round of Cincy  Rybarikova reached the final of New Haven with victories over Simona Halep and Camila Giorgi.  Before Caro can even think about a potential match with Maria in the fourth round, Andrea Petkovic could provide a pretty stern test in the third round.

1st Round Predictions: Sharapova d. Kirilenko in 2 sets, Pliskova d. Dulgheru in 2 sets, Petkovic d. Jabeur in 2 tight sets, Smitkova d. Puig in 3 sets, Wozniacki d. Rybarikova in 2 sets, Errani d. Flipkens in 3 sets, Giorgi d. An. Rodionova in 2 tight sets, V.Williams d. Date-Krumm in 2 sets, Muguruza d. Lucic-Baroni in 3 sets, Konta d. Peer in 3 sets and Halep d. Collins in 2 sets

Quarter-Final Prediction: Sharapova v V.Williams

Moo’s Final Prediction: S.Williams d. Kerber

I said before the tournament (in my head) that I wasn’t going with Serena…. however when I wrote Ana Ivanovic as my champion, it just didn’t feel right!  I’m not entirely convinced by Serena, even after her win in Cincy, but the thought of Serena going a whole year, injury free and not winning a Grand Slam is pretty mind-boggling.  She looks to be in a much better place now than she was at the last two Slams and the US Open has been her best Slam for the past three years, reaching three consecutive finals and winning the last two years.  There have been a select few moments, most of them at Slams this year, where Serena has wobbled and not been able to regain her balance when in previous years, she would have toughed it out.  This remains a concern…

 The women’s draw is so wide open… and that is a really GREAT thing.  Predictions are becoming somewhat meaningless in the current WTA where weird things happen at almost every tournament.  This time last year, I found the US Open a complete snooze fest, but i’m REALLY looking forward to this edition.  I’d love to hear your thoughts on the draw and your final predictions!