Three different women have won the first three Grand Slams of the tennis season – Aryna Sabalenka at the Australian Open, Iga Swiatek at the French Open and Barbora Krejcikova at Wimbledon. Will one of those three capture another slam at the U.S. Open, or will there be four different major champions
in 2024? Sabalenka and Swiatek are the top two favorites, so there may not be an opening for someone to join the party. If there is, however, Americans Coco Gauff (the defending champion), Jessica Pegula and Emma Navarro could be among the contenders.
Let's take a look at the best bets to be made on the women’s side at the U.S. Open before play gets underway in New York on Monday.
- ARYNA SABALENKA
- JESSICA PEGULA
- JASMINE PAOLINI
- PAULA BADOSA
- EMMA NAVARRO
Sabalenka Looking To Go One Better
What's not to like about Sabalenka’s chances heading into the U.S. Open? She is well rested and motivated, having missed Wimbledon earlier this summer due to a shoulder injury before also missing the Paris Olympics.
Unsurprisingly, the Belarusian has been in great form so far on hard courts. She advanced to the quarterfinals in Toronto and then won the Cincinnati title this past week, beating Elina Svitolina, Swiatek and Pegula along the way. Sabalenka now takes here talents to New York, where she finished runner-up to Gauff last season.
The current world No. 2 has not lost prior to the U.S. Open semifinals since 2020 and she has reached at least the semis in six of her last seven Grand Slam appearances. She has not lost prior to the quarterfinals since the 2022 French Open.
As the second seed, Sabalenka is on the opposite side of the bracket from Swiatek. Of course, her draw really doesn’t matter; when Sabalenka plays well, she will beat whoever is on the other side of the net.
ARYNA SABALENKA
Pegula Great Form
It is true that Pegula has underachieved at Grand Slams during her career. If there is a time and place for the 30-year-old to break through, however, it is now at Flushing Meadows. Pegula will enjoy a distinct home-court advantage, not only as one of the best American players but also as a native New Yorker (she is the daughter of Buffalo Bills owner Terry Pegula).
Moreover, she is in incredible form at the moment. The world No. 6 reached back-to-back finals at the two WTA Premier 1000 tournaments in Toronto and Cincinnati, lifting the trophy at the former before finishing runner-up to Sabalenka at the latter. Although being in the same quarter of the bracket as Swiatek isn’t ideal, avoiding Sabalenka until at least the final is good news.
JESSICA PEGULA
Paolini In Great Slam Form
No player on the WTA circuit in 2024 has been more of a surprising revelation than Paolini. The 28-year-old started the season at No. 29 in the rankings and had never advanced past the second round of any Grand Slam.
She promptly reached the fourth round of the Australian Open and then finished runner-up at both the French Open and Wimbledon. From basically out of nowhere, Paolini is up to fifth in the world. Thought to be a bit of a clay-court specialist prior to this year, the Italian has proven to be an all-court player.
She has reached slam finals on clay and grass in addition to winning a 1000-point title on the hard courts of Dubai back in February. That is especially encouraging for her U.S. Open prospects. Paolini has a good U.S. Open draw, too. She is in the same section as a struggling Elena Rybakina and would not meet Sabalenka until the title match.
JASMINE PAOLINI
Resurgent Badosa
Should Be In The MixBacking a longshot or two is usually a good idea at the U.S. Open. This tournament always comes at the end of a long year on tour, when few players are in their best physical shape. Add the Olympics into the mix this time around and the summer schedule has been even more grueling than it is in non-Olympic years.
Needless to say, that could lead to some surprising results in New York City. Don’t be surprised if Badosa takes advantage of the opportunity. The Spaniard has been as high as No. 2 in the rankings, so it’s obvious that she is talented enough to win a Grand Slam. Injuries have derailed her in recent seasons, but she is finally back – and back with a vengeance this summer.
Badosa won the Washington, D.C. event earlier in August and she reached the Cincinnati semifinals last week before losing to Pegula in a competitive three-set match. A nice draw for her at the U.S. Open sees Swiatek in the other half and she would not run into Sabalenka until the semis.
PAULA BADOSA
Navarro Boosted By Home Support
Navarro was not a big name on tour going into this season, but that has changed in a big way. The 23-year-old has won 47 matches so far in 2024 (26 on hard courts) and is up to a career-high ranking of No. 13 in the world.
On ranking points this year alone, Navarro is No. 8 on the WTA Tour. Her performances include a title in Hobart, Australia, a quarterfinal showing at Wimbledon and a semifinal run earlier this month in Toronto.
Navarro currently finds herself in the Monterrey semis, so she continues to play well in advance of the year’s final major. It’s a major she can win, too. The American will have plenty of support from the home crowd and she has an extremely favorable draw.
Navarro is in a quarter with Coco Gauff, who has been in a massive slump this summer. The 13th seed would not have to face Sabalenka until the semis and Swiatek until the final.
EMMA NAVARRO
