Can Sabalenka Win a Grand Slam This Season? A Preview of the 2025 US Open
The last Grand Slam tournament of the season is about to begin! New York is traditionally hosting the world's best tennis players, but we will focus on the women's singles. This season has already given us quite a few surprises. Young Mirra Andreeva has won the hearts of millions of fans with two consecutive victories in hard court Masters tournaments. Coco Gauff, after her victory at the French Open, has slightly faltered but is still considered a frontrunner. Iga Świątek has finally overcome her playing crisis and climbed to the second position in the world rankings. And, of course, Aryna Sabalenka, who is striving to defend her title.
Who will become the champion this time? How will the tournament unfold? Will there be surprises like Boisson at the French Open or Siegemund at Wimbledon? How much Hiney Deuce will be consumed, and who will take home the five million prize money? All this and a bit more in our article ahead of the US Open start.
What Awaits Us?
This year, the total prize fund for the US Open is 90 million dollars. This is a new record for the tournament, and the winners will receive 5 million dollars each. It seems that besides ranking points and the title, there is a huge motivation to fight for victory. But most importantly, the faces who will participate in the tournament.
Perhaps the main newsworthy event is Venus Williams. She will become the oldest participant in the US Open since 1981. The American is now 45 years old and has received a wild card to participate. Incidentally, the two-time US Open champion has already played several hard court matches this season. She was preparing for the tournament in New York. Washington and Cincinnati are where Williams managed to play. It didn't go very well, but hardly anyone expected a spectacular comeback from the 45-year-old tennis player. Last year, she missed the US Open, and it seemed she was done with it, but Venus returned to draw attention to the tournament once more.
Everything related to marketing is about the US Open. In the USA, they know how to attract money, and a lot of it. Nowhere else do they follow mixed doubles matches as closely as at the US Open. Incidentally, many tennis players use this as training. It doesn't take much energy, but there is some match practice involved.
In all other aspects, the US Open is a top-tier tournament. The competition will be very intense, as players spend most of the season on hard courts. In the women's singles, there are many representatives from the USA who will be fervently supported from the stands. And the main one among them is Coco Gauff.
The Teenage Girl
At 19, Coco Gauff won her first US Open, and it's unlikely to be her last. She became only the third teenager in the USA to win this tournament. Two years ago, she managed to defeat Sabalenka in the final in three sets, and a year later, the final was repeated, but that time the Belarusian celebrated victory.
Gauff played only two tournaments before the start of the US Open. The American competed in Montreal and Cincinnati. And it can't be said that Coco was in excellent form. After an unsuccessful grass-court stretch, she seems to have lost form and confidence. But most interestingly, Gauff lost the second spot in the world rankings, conceding it to Świątek, who quickly accumulated around 4,000 points and managed to regain her former form. A quarterfinal in Cincinnati and the fourth round in Montreal are not the level of Gauff, who knows how to play on hard courts. Therefore, the question arises of how this still young athlete will perform.
Of course, conclusions should not be drawn from these tournaments; Gauff will surely be able to prepare herself for the US Open, especially with the support of the fans. However, after her triumph at Roland Garros, we haven't seen the tennis from Cori that we expect. The teenage girl is undoubtedly strong, but can she handle the pressure exerted by her updated ranking and recent setbacks on the court?
Is Iga making a comeback?
Polish media are going crazy talking about Swiatek. Over the past year, all we've heard about is her slump, psychological issues, lack of finals, and how Iga is no longer what she used to be. And then, just like in the best Hollywood movies, the grass season begins. Swiatek had never won a grass tournament in history, not even played in the finals. And then the final in Bad Homburg, followed by a victory at Wimbledon. A triumph, all the media talk about a miracle, but we know that it was all a well-planned operation. A whole special operation for a loud comeback.
Iga Swiatek didn't stop there; at the Cincinnati Masters, she knocked out Rybakina with her powerful serve and then defeated Paolini in the final, who had been talking throughout the tournament about how much she enjoyed playing there. Second place in the world rankings, high odds for the US Open, which she won three years ago, global fame, and once again the love of the fans.
The Polish player is clearly ready to win her second title at this tournament; everything is in her favor. She is currently in the best form among all the female tennis players. Who can compete with her?
The reigning champions are not asleep
If there is a player who can compete with Swiatek right now, it is Aryna Sabalenka. Two Grand Slam finals this season, a Wimbledon semifinal, won Masters tournaments, an undisputed first place in the world rankings. But even such a cyborg has questions. Sabalenka played only one tournament before the start of the US Open, and even there she only reached the quarterfinals, where she lost to Rybakina in two sets. The match lasted just 1 hour and 16 minutes. This is probably Sabalenka's most disappointing performance.
Since her championship in Madrid, Sabalenka has only one final—at Roland Garros. Currently, the athlete does not have the best statistics, and she is losing important points for herself. Moreover, there is the burden of responsibility—the US Open title needs to be defended. Yes, we all know that Sabalenka steps up at the right moments: in a match—during a tiebreak, and in a tournament—at the final stages. But such a scheme can fail; at any moment, there will be a player who does not give up until the very end. And there will be plenty of those at the US Open.
Will the young generation surprise everyone again?
Let's agree that this is the last tournament where we call Mirra Andreeva a young prodigy. She is already 18 years old, in sports, she is a mature player, and she has quite a bit of experience, so she shouldn't be treated like a child. Andreeva has shown everyone this season that she plays excellently on hard courts, having won two consecutive Masters 1000 tournaments. Now it's time to prove it at the US Open. So far, she has impressed with quarterfinal appearances at Wimbledon and Roland Garros, but she hasn't advanced past the second round at the US Open yet.
Since last season, Andreeva has grown significantly, and Conchita Martinez's work with her is bearing fruit. Yes, before the start of this Grand Slam, the Russian didn't make a mark at the Masters 1000 events and even skipped Cincinnati, but she managed to play on the courts with Medvedev, where she will soon compete in singles. Winning the championship might be too early for her, but reaching the quarterfinals is quite achievable.
Rybakina and Her Serve
Elena Rybakina can be considered the dark horse of this US Open. The final in Washington and her powerful serve have led to high expectations for the representative of Kazakhstan. It's probably because Vukov has started working with the tennis player again. The coach's advice greatly helps Elena during matches. Yes, Montreal didn't go well, but Rybakina had almost no rest, playing very intense matches every other day. A strong serve requires good recovery.
The number of aces is impressive, and hard courts suit Rybakina well. Her average serve speed was one of the highest even among men in the tournaments leading up to the US Open, not to mention the women's draw. So, we expect a similarly bright performance from Elena.
Who Will Become the Champion?
We won't play fortune-tellers and predict the future. The lineup before the start of the US Open is very intriguing. In the men's draw, we know that Alcaraz and Sinner will be competing for titles for the next 40 years, but in the women's draw, there are no such players; everyone is on equal footing. The world number one hasn't won a Grand Slam this season, and after Madrid, hasn't won any title at all. Young Gauff is losing form, and Swiatek, who surprised everyone, is striving to take another title in the last month. Let's not forget about Pegula, Keys, Leylah Fernandez, and even Naomi Osaka.
We are in for a very exciting tournament, where every match will be intriguing. And, of course, you can see all the predictions for the women's US Open matches on our website.
