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As the tennis world rolls into New York for perhaps the biggest and brashest of the Grand Slams, the women’s US Open draw looks fascinating with potential champions at every stop on the main draw.<\/p>\n
World No. 1 Iga Swiatek is the defending champion and took her career total to four Grand Slams with a third French Open title in four years. A native of Poland, she is a worthy favorite despite serious competition in what promises to be a thrilling two weeks.<\/p>\n
Since Serena Williams won three in a row from 2012 to 2014, seven different players have won the title with only Naomi Osaka claiming double trophies. Flavia Pennetta, Sloane Stephens, Bianca Andreescu and Emma Raducanu are some of the sport’s surprise major champions and they all triumphed in New York for their only Grand Slam title to date.<\/p>\n
Such is the strength in depth which made it difficult to keep our list to just 10 names. But Daily Express Sports US has taken an in-depth look at recent play and Grand Slam records and put it all together to come up with the top 10 power rankings for women’s singles at the 2023 US Open.<\/p>\n
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World Ranking:<\/strong> 1<\/p>\n First round opponent:<\/strong> Rebecca Peterson<\/p>\n While we are happy to listen to any arguments about an alternative No. 1, they will not convince us otherwise because Iga Swiatek 100 percent deserves to sit at the top of these rankings. She is the defending champion, having beaten Ons Jabeur to win her first US Open last year. Since then, she’s added a third French Open and reached the quarterfinal on her least favorite surface, the grass of Wimbledon. With a 65-14 record in majors already and 15 career titles including four this year, it’s difficult to remember she is still just 22.<\/p>\n World Ranking:<\/strong> 6<\/p>\n First round opponent:<\/strong>\u00a0Laura Siegemund (qualifier)<\/p>\n If anyone could make a case to knock Swiatek off the top spot, it’s Coco. The 19-year-old has found another gear on the US hard court swing since linking up with Brad Gilbert earlier this summer. She won the biggest title of her career in Washington, and then after a quarterfinal defeat to doubles partner Jessica Pegula in Montreal, she won her first 1000 title in Cincinnati, beating Swiatek for the first time in her career. That gave her a WTA leading five titles for the year, and with the personality and all-court game to thrill the New York crowds, the only issue is expectation \u2014 something the American has learned to embrace<\/p>\n We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info<\/p>\n World Ranking:<\/strong> 2<\/p>\n First round opponent:<\/strong> Maryna Zanevska<\/p>\n The world No. 2 and reigning Australian Open champion seems to go under the radar and we can’t work out why. Six Grand Slam semifinals since Wimbledon 2021 stacks up with anyone for consistency. However, only once has she gone on to make the final, doing so in Melbourne where she beat Elena Rybakina in three high-quality sets. She tuned up with a semifinal run in Cincinnati and already has a final win over Swiatek earlier this year in Madrid. It will be a surprise if she isn’t in another semifinal.<\/p>\n World Ranking:<\/strong> 5<\/p>\n First round opponent:<\/strong> Marta Kostyuk<\/p>\n Rybakina’s Wimbledon title last year – with no ranking points on offer – has meant she has had to battle for recognition. A first-round exit in New York followed, but 2023 has been a statement year. She had another Grand Slam final in Australia; a quarterfinal in defense of her title at Wimbledon; 1000 titles at Indian Wells \u2014 often considered the fifth Grand Slam \u2014 and Rome; and\u00a0a final in Miami. She will not be as underestimated as she has been in the past. Rybakina leads the tour on first serve points percentage, so if the serve is firing expect a best-ever run at Flushing Meadows.<\/p>\n World Ranking:<\/strong> 3<\/p>\n First round opponent:<\/strong> Camila Giorgi<\/p>\n Pegula has been a model of consistency to rise to third in the world, but her performances in the Grand Slams are where she has yet to make her mark. Six quarterfinal defeats at that stage show there may be a slight mental barrier to overcome, and experienced an Italian no one’s idea of a good first-round draw. But Pegula tends to rise to most challenges and it is not a stretch to think she has an “Empire State of Mind” in New York – her home state where her parents own the NFL’s Buffalo Bills and NHL’s Buffalo Sabres.<\/p>\n World Ranking:<\/strong> 5<\/p>\n First round opponent:<\/strong> Camila Osorio<\/p>\n It would be one of the great injustices if Jabeur ended her career without a Grand Slam. A player as rich in personality as she is in her skills, which have been so consistent over the last couple of years, not least in the majors. Two Wimbledon final defeats to go with a loss to Swiatek in last year’s US Open final underline the heartbreak that she has taken in her stride, but more than that show someone on the brink of a major win. The talented young Colombian Osorio is an awkward first rounder but if she comes through, another deep run looks likely.<\/p>\n World Ranking:<\/strong> 26<\/p>\n First round opponent:<\/strong> Anna-Lena Friedsam<\/p>\n Ignore the world ranking. Svitolina returned to the tour in April after giving birth to her first child in October and her form has been terrific. Inspired by the honor of playing for her war-torn homeland and her family, the Ukrainian won her 17th WTA title in May and reached the quarterfinals of the French Open and the semis of Wimbledon this year. It’s that tenacity that makes her a serious contender for the title and with plenty to focus the mind off the court, it is no surprise to see her perhaps targeting the major events these days.<\/p>\n World Ranking:<\/strong> 9<\/p>\n First round opponent:<\/strong>\u00a0Na-Lae Han (qualifier)<\/p>\n A surprise French Open finalist in 2019, Vondrousova put almost two years of wrist injury problems behind her with a fairytale run to win the Wimbledon title just a couple of months ago, becoming the first-ever unseeded player to do so. It was her first title in more than two years and at just 24 years old the Czech left-hander looks primed to be a regular in the second week of the majors for a long time to come. Despite a couple of second-round exits, she has good memories of New York when at just 18 she reached the fourth round in 2018. A quarterfinal run in Cincinnati shook off any concerns after the understandable attention that came with the Wimbledon triumph.<\/p>\n World Ranking:<\/strong> 10<\/p>\n First round opponent:<\/strong> Storm Hunter<\/p>\n Another from the Czech production line, but Muchova is now 27 and might just be finding a level of consistency to contend at Flushing Meadows. Two Wimbledon quarterfinals and a semifinal at the Australian Open show her ability at the highest level and a final at Roland Garros this year suggests it doesn’t matter what surface Muchova is on. A disappointing record in New York has brought first-round exits in the last two years but she has risen to a career-high 10th in the world. Beaten by Coco Gauff in the Cincinnati final last week, her only barrier to a final might be mental as she has just one career title on the WTA Tour, not enough for a player of her quality.<\/p>\n2. Coco Gauff<\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\n3. Aryna Sabalenka<\/h3>\n
4. Elena Rybakina<\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\n5. Jessica Pegula<\/h3>\n
6. Ons Jabeur<\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\n7. Elina Svitolina<\/h3>\n
8. Marketa Vondrousova<\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\n9. Karolina Muchova<\/h3>\n
10. Maria Sakkari<\/h3>\n