By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Thursday August 22, 2024 2024
A closer look at the US Open women's singles draw reveals several popcorn matchups as well as enticing week two scenarios.
Photo Source: Gett
The final Grand Slam draws of 2024 are out! And on the women’s side, at the 2024 US Open, there are some blockbuster opening-round matchups to savor.
SEE THE US OPEN 2024 WOMEN'S SINGLES DRAW
Let’s have a look at those as a part of our five initial takeaways from today’s women’s draw.
Osaka’s return screams big stage
For anybody who enjoyed Naomi Osaka’s stunning first-round match with Iga Swiatek at Roland-Garros this spring, her US Open return could be equally riveting. Two-time champion Osaka has been drawn to face former Grand Slam champion Jelena Ostapenko, the No.10 seed in round one.
It will mark the pair’s first meeting since their lone clash in 2016, won by Osaka 6-4, 7-5 at Roland-Garros.
A lot of water has passed under the bridge since then. Osaka has won four majors; Ostapenko broke through in 2017 for her lone Slam title. And this year in Flushing Meadows, Osaka is making her first US Open appearance since becoming a mother. Meanwhile Ostapenko defends quarterfinal points in New York. She was on fire last year and took it to top-seeded Iga Swiatek in the round of 16.
Get your popcorn ready for this clash of behemoth ball strikers.
Coco Falls in Sabalenka’s Half
Coco Gauff enters the 2024 US Open in a decidedly different place than she was last year. First she’s a major champion now, and the defending champion in Flushing Meadows. Second, she comes in cold. Remember last year when Gauff came to New York hot on the heels of her Cincinnati title run, one that saw her snap a seven-match losing streak against Iga Swiatek and defeat Karolina Muchova in the final?
This year she enters in a bit of a tailspin, having lost three out of four. It hasn’t been a terrible year overall for Gauff, but her performance since Roland-Garros has left a bit to be desired. She seems a little lost in her game, sort of rudderless in a way, both in her tactics in terms of confidence.
That makes No.2-seeded Aryna Sabalenka a more likely pick to come through this section of the draw. Sabalenka, fresh off the Cincinnati title, and in good health after dealing with a shoulder issue that pushed her out of Wimbledon, is the hotter player.
Gauff opens with Varvara Gracheva of France, while Sabalenka has drawn a qualifier in round one. Gauff’s projected quarterfinal opponent, if the seeds hold, is Barbjora Krejcikova; Sabalenka’s would be China’s Zheng Qinwen.
Iga’s Path Includes Rybakina
While Sabalenka and Gauff populate the lower half, we find Elena Rybakina and Iga Swiatek sharing the top half.
2022 champion Swiatek might like that news, even if Rybakina has been tough on her in their head-to-head. That’s because Rybakina owns a 4-5 lifetime record in Flushing Meadows, compared to 43-13 at the other three majors combined. Last year the Kazakhstani reached a career-best third-round, but lost to Sorana Cirstea in a three-setter when she got there.
Swiatek has a manageable draw, which could see her face Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the third round and either teen sensation Mirra Andreeva or Liudmila Samsonova in the round of 16, if the seeds hold.
The Pole, who earned the bronze medal at the Paris Olympics, lost to Aryna Sabalenka 6-3, 6-3 in the semifinals at Cincinnati.
Swiatek vs Rybakina would be a heavily anticipated semifinal if it happens, but there are lot of pitfalls been then and now lying in wait.
A bevy of popcorn first-rounders
Osaka v Ostapenko isn’t the only must-see first-rounder on tap in Flushing Meadows. We have two more for you…
How about a battle of former Grand Slam champions between 2021 US Open wunderkind Emma Raducanu and 2020 Australian Open Sofia Kenin. The pair have never met. Raducanu is ranked 72. Kenin comes in at 55. This is a match that could energize the winner, whomever it may be.
Another popcorn first-rounder is the third Grand Slam matchup between Bianca Andreescu and Jasmine Paolini. Paolini has been one of the biggest breakout stories of the 2024 season, reaching the final at Roland-Garros and Wimbledon and rising to a Top-5 ranking. She defeated Andreescu in the third round of both runs.
Andreescu returned from a serious back injury this spring, and is still trying to get back into top form. The 2019 US Open champion is 9-7 on the season and comes in on a three-match losing streak.
Collins’ Last Stand, Pegula Searching for Milestone
All eyes will be on the American women in New York, and we’re not just talking about defending champion Gauff. With five Top-15 talents and 15 in the Top-100, the likelihood of a breakout story is big for the American women this Flushing fortnight.
We look to Danielle Collins, who is playing her final Grand Slam in this her final season. 11th-ranked Collins will face Caroline Dolehide in the first round and could eventually – if the seeds hold – face Jessica Pegula in the round of 16.
Pegula has emerged as one of the hottest players on tour this summer, winning the title in Toronto and backing that up with a run to the Cincinnati final.
We’ll also be watching Amanda Anisimova closely. After a runner-up run in Toronto, the 22-year-old wild card has drawn China’s Zheng Qinwen in the first round.