Ok well its just over a week away from the US Open beginning now, the final grand slam of the tennis season, which begins on Monday 27 August, which will see the top seeds fight it out for the right to win the 4th major trophy of the year. So here's my thoughts on potential winners on both the men's and ladies side of the game.
So to begin with the ladies, well I think the hot favourite has to be Serena Williams, who has been in explosive form since the beginning of the grass court season, as she made her way through a hard fought Wimbledon campaign, and by stark contrast, totally massacred her way to victory in the 2012 Olympics. However that was on grass, and on hard court it is a slightly different kettle of fish (or balls) as she will be up against some stiff competition. And lest we forget last year when Serena made that great run to the final, where she was the dead cert to win, and yet Sam Stosur played a blinder of a match, stunning the former champion in straight sets. So while she is the most likely winner, it is far from written in stone, and she will probably have to fight her way to victory here, either that or it will be just another annihilation.
But as an update Serena was defeated by Angelique Kerber at the Cincinnati Western and Southern Open event, where she played a lacklustre match and lost in 6-4, 6-4, to the German player. And it has to be said that even the very best have their bad days, and Serena is known for having hers now and then. And one area in which Serena can be lacking is her mental strength, as on ocassions she can falter, like she did at the the French Open against Virginia Razzano when she lost in the first round. She also lost to Caroline Wozniacki in Miami in straight sets earlier this year, and of course there was the US Open final last which I already mentioned. So there are times where Serena's attitude can get the better of her, like it did in the US Open final last year after she lost a game for calling out during a point, and she can even get emotional like she did in her French Open match. So if there will be one playet that can beat Serena, it will be herself. But we'll see.
Other favourites also include Maria Sharapova, who triumphed at the French open earlier this year, to complete her career slam, and while her form at Wimbledon was questionable, she will definitely go deep in New York, and will have her chances. However for Maria her biggest obstacles will be Serena, and of course Victoria Azarenka, who I consider to be another strong contender for the title, especially as Vika is so proficient on hard courts, and also won her first major title back at the Australian open earlier this year. But depending on how they are drawn in the draw, they may not face each other until the final or even maybe in the same section, which means they could meet in the semis, but we'll see.
There are one or two other potential favs, the next one being Petra Kvitova, who after losing to Serena in the semis at Wimbledon, and quarter finals of the Olympics to Maria Kirilenko, has already made a strong start on the North American hard court swing, having just won her 8th career title in Montreal. Petra of course has a big game, and can flat out hit winners from anywhere on the court, which makes her very dangerous, and if the draw works out in her favour, I can see her also lifting the title. Then we have Agnieszka Radwanska, who was the Wimbledon finalist, although her form has dipped a bit since, going out in the first round of the Olympics, and losing in straight sets to Li Na in Montreal last week. However Aga is a great player and has won so many matches this year, and has the tenacity to beat the best, although her biggest flaw is her lack of power in her shots, and her second serve is very punishable. So while Aga could be a potential favourite, I don't quite outright see her winnnig the title.
After this there are also another couple of outsiders, starting with Caroline Wozniacki, the former World No.1, who after a bad dip in form, is starting to show signs of improvement. Caroline also recently hired a new coach, Thomas Johanssen, former Australian Open champion, to help her with her game, and become a more aggressive player. For Caroline it will still be a work in progress, but she has shown some impressive results over the summer, despite a first round loss at Wimbledon, she did reach the quarter finals of the Olympics, as well as the semi finals in Montreal last week, before losing to Petra Kvitova. And hard court is also Caroline's favourite surface, which could favour her in New York, where she also reached her only grand slam final, where she lost to Kim Clijsters in a tightly contested match. However in order to win Caroline will definitely have to play more aggressively, and she could still struggle against the big hitters, especially Serena, Kerber, Sharapova, Kvitova and Azarenka, who have stood in her way in the past. Caroline is also yet to even win a WTA tour title this year, so it really is a big ask for to lift the trophy at the US Open, but nothing is impossible, so we'll see how the Dane get's on.
And another potential two favs could well for starters be Sam Stosur, who is the defending champion, but I'm not entirely convinced that she can defend her title this year, although it would be great if she could, but somehow I doubt it, as given the depth of the game, its an incredibly tough thing to do, but I do think she can go deep again, or maybe just go out in the first round, who knows??? But I doubt she will. And also another possible outsider could be Angelique Kerber, who this year has really established her place in the top 10, and has had notable victories over players such as Caroline Wozniacki, Venus Williams, Petra Kvitova and Kim Clijsters. Kerber has a big powerful game, and is yet another big hitter, who is very dangerous, and her chances at the US Open can't be underestimated, as she announced her arrival on the scene last year by reaching the semi finals. So Angie is a possible, even though she's not an outright favourite to win.
But to back that up, Kerber has just defeated Serena in Cincinnati in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4, with Serena clearly looking below par (bit like Andy Murray funnily enough in his loss to Jeremy Chardy, again in 6-4, 6-4!). So while Serena was far from her best, it does highlight that Kerber on her day can beat anyone, and Kerber also has beaten Petra Kvitova in Cincinnati as well to reach the final, where she will face Li Na, so there is a strong chance that she can win the title there. So this clearly shows that Angie is a player who has been going from strength to strength, and with these two wins in the bag, I think its a fairly safe bet she could become a stronger favourite to win at Flushing meadows if she maintains this form.
And finally another potential fav could be Kim Clijsters, who is more of an outsider, but she has had great success at the US Open in the past, having been the champion there three times in 2005, 2009 and 2010. However Kim hasn't had as much match play in the past year, due to injury, but she has played a bit more this year, and she did reach the quarter finals of the Olympics before losing to Maria Sharapova. Kim is also due to retire from tennis after she finishes playing at the US Open this year, which is a great pity since she has contributed a great deal to ladies tennis over the years. But it would make for a great swansong if she could pull off a final victory at the US Open before she puts down her racquet, and a fitting end to a great career.
Right well that's it my thoughts on the ladies favourites for the US Open. The men will now follow....
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