By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Thursday August 23, 2023
World No. 1 Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff gave us a summer classic in Cincinnati.
Reigning champion Swiatek and Cincinnati champion Gauff are on a US Open quarterfinal collision course.
Allaster: US Open Ball is in WTA's Court
The US Open draws were conducted today and the potential for a Swiatek-Gauff rematch pops off the page.
Winless in seven prior meetings vs. the world No. 1, a fearless Gauff flipped a frustrating script fighting off Swiatek 7-6(2), 3-6, 6-4 to charge into her maiden Cincinnati final with a pulsating performance on Saturday. the 19-year-old Gauff went on to defeat Karolina Muchova 6-3, 6-4 to become the youngest woman to win Cincinnati, raising her career finals record to 5-1 with her lone loss coming to Swiatek in the 2022 Roland Garros final.
No. 4-seeded Elena Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon champion who knocked Swiatek out of the Australian Open fourth round, Miami Open champion Petra Kvitova, 2017 Roland Garros champion Jelena Ostapenko, former world No. 1 Victoria Azarenka, Olympic gold-medal champion Belinda Bencic, 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens and Roland Garros finalist Karolina Muchova are among the notable names in the top half of the draw.
No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka, the Australian Open champion chasing Swiatek for the world No. 1 ranking, anchors the bottom half of the draw that features Montreal champion and No. 3-seeded Jessica Pegula, No. 7-seeded Caroline Garcia, Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousva and 43-year-old wild card Venus Williams, who faces Paula Badosa in her opener.
The US Open starts on Monday, August 28th.
Photo credit: Matthew Stockman/Getty