Five women to watch at this year’s U.S. Open at Flushing Meadows:
The 2023 U.S. Open champ, last year’s title defense was derailed by double faults.
After a WTA-worst 320 this season, Gauff replaced coach Brad Gilbert on her staff with Matthew Daly last week on the eve of the Open. It was a bold move.
This year Goff has made another bold move just before the Open, parting ways with Daly, and bringing in biomechanics expert Gavin MacMillan
Like Taylor Fritz on the men’s side, she’s ranked fourth in the world and is returning to Flushing as last year’s runner up.
The difference is the New York native is out of form, knocked out of the French Open by wild card Lois Boisson and ousted from Wimbledon in the first round.
With two of her three titles this year (Austin and Charleston) coming stateside, can she rebound in her home Slam?
“I don’t think it gets much better than Ashe a night match just with the energy and the atmosphere,” Pegula said. “I don’t think you can beat it being in New York City. It’s just very electric, rowdy, fun, a little bit chaotic. But I feel like it’s just New York kind of in a nutshell.”
It’s almost rare to see the six-time Slam champ go a full year without winning a major.
But lately the Pole looks back to her best, dropping just a single set en route to winning Wimbledon last month, and backing that up in Cincinnati.
At 45 she’ll make history in Flushing as the oldest singles player here since 1981, when Renée Richards set the record at 47.
But foes like Naomi Osaka want to focus more on Williams being an icon than old.
Ranked 654th in WTA singles, Williams got a wild card for her 25th singles appearance at the Open.
On the other end of the age spectrum from Williams is the 18-year-old Mboko.
The Canadian beat Grand Slam champs Gauff, Osaka, Sofia Kenin and Elena Rybakina en route to her first WTA 1000 title at Montreal.
Now she’s making her main draw debut here at the U.S. Open.