US Open 2024: 5 favorites to win the women's singles title ft. Iga Swiatek and Jessica Pegula
The 2024 US Open is approaching quickly, with the main draw slated to run from August 26 to September 8. This year's women's field is particularly strong, featuring top players like Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, and Coco Gauff. Given the depth of talent, there is no clear favorite for the title.
2022 champion Swiatek and last year's runner-up Sabalenka enter the event as the bookmakers' favorites for the crown. The American duo of Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula, along with Elena Rybakina, are considered strong outside contenders due to their proficiency on hard courts and familiarity with the venue.
Others in contention include defending French Open and Wimbledon runner-up Jasmine Paolini, Olympic gold medalist Zheng Qinwen, and Jelena Ostapenko.
On that note, here's a look at our top five contenders for the women's singles crown at the 2024 US Open.
#5 Jasmine Paolini
Jasmine Paolini has enjoyed a breakthrough season on the WTA Tour, steadily climbing the rankings. Entering New York, she boasts an impressive 31-14 match record for the year. The Italian captured her maiden WTA 1000 title in Dubai, defeating top players like Elena Rybakina, Maria Sakkari, and Anna Kalinskaya en route to the championship.
The Italian World No. 5 has been particularly impressive in Grand Slam tournaments. She kicked off the year with a fourth-round finish in Melbourne, where she went down to Kalinskaya. At the French Open, she saw off the likes of Bianca Andreescu, Rybakina, and Mirra Andreeva en route to her first Grand Slam final, where she was ousted by Iga Swiatek. She made her second Grand Slam final in less than a month at Wimbledon, ultimately going down to veteran Barbora Krejickova in a fiercely contested final.
Paolini has since competed at the Olympics, where she reached the third round in the singles, suffering a shock defeat to Slovakia's Anna Karolína Schmiedlova. She did, however, win the doubles gold alongside partner Sara Errani. Her Cincinnati campaign last week was brought to a disappointing end in the third round by a spirited Mirra Andreeva.
Paolini heads into her fifth US Open as a serious contender for the prize and could pose a serious threat if she continues playing at her highest level.
#4 Elena Rybakina
Elena Rybakina heads into New York with a 40-9 match record and three titles to her name from Brisbane, Abu Dhabi, and Stuttgart. Unfortunately, injuries have disrupted her season once again, forcing her to withdraw from major tournaments such as the Olympics, Indian Wells, and the Italian Open.
Rybakina suffered a shock second-round defeat to Anna Blinkova at the Australian Open to start the year. She made a dominant start to her campaign in France, breezing through the first four rounds without dropping a set, before ultimately succumbing to Jasmine Paolini in the quarterfinals. She entered the Wimbledon Championships as one of the favorites for the crown and was well on her way to glory before Barbora Krejickova scripted an incredible comeback victory in the semifinals to send her packing.
Rybakina has since played just one match in Cincinnati, where she once again went down in a tight three-setter, this time to Canada's Leylah Fernandez.
Despite her lackluster form off late, Rybakina heads into the US Open as a firm favorite for the crown. She reached the third round last year and will be eager to eclipse that result.
#3 Jessica Pegula
Jessica Pegula enters the US Open as one of the tournament's most in-form players, boasting a 29-10 win-loss record despite missing a significant portion of the season due to injury.
Pegula opened her season with a trio of semifinal runs in Adelaide, San Diego, and Charleston before spending time on the sidelines to recover from injuries. She returned to action at the Libema Open but failed to advance past the second round. However, she quickly rebounded with a standout performance at the Berlin Grass Court Championships, clinching the title. Her Wimbledon campaign was brought to an early end courtesy of a shock defeat to Xinyu Wang in round two. She suffered another shocker at the Olympics, going down to Elina Svitolina in the second round.
Pegula then returned to the Canadian Open as the defending champion, and she played like one. She coasted through to the finals without dropping a set, beating Karolina Pliskova and Diana Shnaider, among others, along the way. In the final, the 30-year-old overcame compatriot Amanda Anisimova in three sets: 6-3, 2-6, 6-1. She followed it up with another impressive week in Cincinnati, finishing runner-up to a dominant Aryna Sabalenka.
Pegula is a strong contender for the title, backed by her recent impressive form and home crowd support. Her best US Open result to date is a quarterfinal appearance in 2022.
#2 Iga Swiatek
Top seed Iga Swiatek enters New York with an impressive 50-6 match record and is the overwhelming favorite for the title. She has already claimed titles in Qatar, Indian Wells, Madrid, and Paris this year.
Swiatek suffered a shocking second-round defeat at the Australian Open but turned things around at Roland Garros by claiming her third straight title and her fourth overall. Her Wimbledon campaign ended prematurely with a loss to Yulia Putinseva in the third round. Touted the favorite to lift the Olympic gold, Swiatek suffered one of her most heartbreaking defeats to Zheng Qinwen in the semifinals. She ended up with the bronze medal.
Swiatek heads into the US Open on the back of a semifinal run in Cincinnati. She saw off the likes of Marta Kostyuk and Mirra Andreeva before being brushed aside by eventual champion Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets.
A past champion at the flushing meadows, Swiatek once again heads into the event as a firm favorite for the crown. Her impressive hardcourt record, coupled with her big match expertise, holds her in good stead heading into the final slam of the year.
#1 Aryna Sabalenka
Aryna Sabalenka has been a real force to be reckoned with of late and she seems to have regained her best form just in time for the final Grand Slam of the season.
Sabalenka kicked off her year in style by picking up her second Grand Slam title at the Australian Open, overcoming Zheng Qinwen in a one-sided final. Her form took a hit from there on, as she suffered a string of disappointing defeats heading into the clay court swing. She made back-to-back finals in Madrid and Rome, losing to Iga Swiatek on both occasions. Mirra Andreeva shocked her in the quarterfinals of the French Open, overcoming a one-set deficit to seal an emphatic win. The transition to grass didn't bear fruit either, as she was forced to withdraw from Wimbledon due to a shoulder injury.
Sabalenka opened her American hard-court swing with a semifinal run at the Citi Open, going down to Marie Bouzkova in three sets. A ruthless Amanda Anisimova got the better of her in the quarterfinals of the Canadian Open the following week. The 26-year-old returned to her dominating best in Cincinnati, clinching the trophy without dropping a set all week. She overcame the likes of Elina Svitolina, Iga Swiatek, and Jessica Pegula en route to just her second title of the season and her sixth WTA 1000 crown.
Sabalenka finished runner-up to Coco Gauff at the US Open last year and will be eager to go one step further in her quest for a third Grand Slam title. Given her recent impressive form, she will be hard to stop.