Right OK so I've covered the men's contenders for the title now its time to have a look at the ladies and some of the top names that have a good chance of claiming the champions trophy in New York.
Serena Williams
So right at the top of the list we have Serena Williams who has had a very up and down year and she has not done particularly well in the majors either as she has failed to get past the last 16 and has exited as early as the 2nd round at the French open. However I think things might be on the verge of changing for Serena as she really has picked up her game over the summer and she has claimed two titles in the American hard court swing at Stanford and Cincinnati. Serena also during Wimbledon was suffering from a virus, which drastically affected her performance in the singles and she was even forced to retire from her doubles match with Venus. But Serena is back to full fitness now and she will be hungry and determined to reach the final and defend her title so for that reason alone I see her as the favourite to win the title. But will she???? Yep I think she will as she really will want to prove herself in the final slam of the season and even if she doesn't win it I'm pretty sure she can go real deep or at very least reach the final and if she is in that final an on form, it will take something mighty special to stop her. Prediction: champion or finalist.
Simona Halep
Well next up believe it or not I'm going to pick Simona Halep who risen dramatically through the rankings this year and she is now the world no.2 and with good reason. Halep's game style is very aggressive and it can be said that she has mirrored her style on Kim Clijsters and Halep is good mover and a really good defensive player as well. Halep has already won some fairly big titles already in her career as she won the Qatar open earlier this year which is a Premier 5 event on the WTA tour and she reached the final of the French open and put in a very gritty performance against Maria Sharapova in three tough sets. And Halep certainly has earned her place in the list as there are very few players she can't beat out there with the exception of Serena Williams and also maybe Sharapova if she comes up against her. So Halep has a really good chance to lift her maiden major title in New York if she get's a favourable draw and avoids a hot Sharapova and get's maybe a slightly undercooked Serena in the final. However Halep's inexperience at this level might also see her come up short against the more experienced veterans in the game so we will just have to wait and see how things pan out for the dimunitive Romanian. So I think Halep could go real deep here and if she doesn't make the final then the last four is a safe bet. Prediction: semi finals or finalist.
Maria Sharapova
Next up is Maria Sharapova who has had a bit of an up and down season in some respects, as she stumbled at the Australian open and Wimbledon losing out in the 4th round at both, but she also triumphed at the French open to claim her 2nd title at Roland Garros. Maria is without one of the biggest warriors in the ladies game and when it comes to grinding it out there are few players better than her at doing that. But Maria can also have her moments of inconsistency and her serve is also rather erratic where quite often the double faults go into double figures. Sharapova may also struggle to win her 2nd US Open title here if a certain Serena Williams stands in her way and all her fighting to reach the final if they meet there will end with Sharapova's game go into meltdown as it has done on all their previous occassions since 2005. But that's far from to say that Sharapova doesn't have a chance of winning the title in New York because she may well do if the draw works out for her and if Serena goes out early on and one or two other tricky customers such as Ana Invanovic, then it could be Maria's year at Flushing Meadows. So its hard to pin this one down for Maria but I think she can reach the last four or final two. Will she be the champion??? Not so sure, but we'll see. Prediction: quarters, semis or final.
Ana Ivanovic
Next we have Ana Ivanovic who has been in great form in 2014 which has seen her really step up her game and re-establish herself as the player who won the French open back in 2008 as Ana went into the neverland for a while there in her game as she continually doubted herself on court. But Ana really has stepped things up over the last year or so and she has already reached the quarter finals of the US Open last year and at the Australian open this year. And Ana also scored a big win over Sharapova in Cincinnati last week which saw her reach the final only to get beaten by Serena Williams. But its wins like this that could see Ana move ahead of Sharapova and put her in pole position to go really deep in New York and just maybe give her a shout of a second major title. Ivanovic also has recorded the most match wins of any player on the WTA this year which is in itself quite a remarkable and impressive stat and with those stats just maybe she can push through here and she already beat Serena in Australia this year so just maybe she could do the sam here. But it will all of course depend on how Ana's draw works out and I don't quite see her as the outright champion, but I think she can still make a good run in New york the last eight or four is a realistic outcome. Prediction: quarter or semi finals.
Agnieszka Radwanska
Then we have Agnieszka Radwanska who is a real breath of fresh air on the ladies tour with her guile and ingenuity, Aga is one of the most entertaining shotmakers and most naturally talented players in the women's game right now. And Radwanska has been one of the most consistent players on the ladies tour overall the last two years or so and she has already reached the final at Wimbledon two years ago. But where Aga's game falls down is in her lack of power and weight of shot and her serve is very vulnerable and open to attack given that her 2nd serve is about only 70mph on average (almost like Andy Murray's!) and her first serves probably tops out at 110 mph maximum and against the big hitters this is where she will come under fire. However Radwanska is still one of the most wily and intelligent players in the ladies game just now and she knows how to outfox alot of her opponents which still gives her a good shout at going deep at Flushing meadows. The only problem for Aga though is she hasn't gotten past the 4th round at the US open which is puzzling in itself given her consistency, but I think this year Radwanska will maker her breakthrough and get into the last eight and just maybe the final four. Prediction: quarter finals or semi finals.
Angelique Kerber
Next up we have Angelique Kerber who has had a bit of an up and down year so far but she has also shown she has enough grit to see her improve her slam results a little as she reached the quarter finals at Wimbledon this year. And Kerber has previously reached the semi finals of the US Open which is the tournament where she made her breakthrough onto the scene, so just maybe this year she could do equally well. The only problem for Kerber is that she does lack the mental belief needed to help make that final step to winning a major and she is yet to reach a final aswell although I do think that could be just a matter of a time as Kerber is quite a powerful player and remains a big threat to the others out there. But if you look at Kerber's record this year in finals she has lost all four finals of tournaments that she has played in which is not too encouraging in itself and again shows her vulnerability. Regardless of that though I think Angie could be in for a good run this year in New York and just maybe the special memories of her run to the semis two years ago might spark another good one this year, so I think maybe the final eight or four might be on the cards for the German. Prediction: quater finals or semi finals.
Jelena Jankovic
After this we have Jelena Jankovic who has made a dramatic resurgance over the last year as she returned to the top ten after spending some time in the wilderness for a couple of years game wise. Jelena is also a former World No.1 and is one of the best movers and defenders on the ladies game, however her serve is quite erratic and often get's her into trouble in matches. Jelena also has had a bit of a mixed year in 2014 as she did fairly well in reaching the 4th round of the Australian and French open, but she fell short of the mark going out in the first round at Wimbledon. So there is some room for doubt with how Jelena will respond going into Flushing meadows and whether or not she can go real deep but if she does find a rich vein of form then we might just see Jelena in the final like she was six years ago. Can Jelena win it then???? I'm not entirely convinced but I think she can definitely reach the last 16 or 8 at any rate. Prediction: quarter finals.
Eugenie Bouchard
So up next is the Canadian newcomer, Eugenie Bouchard who has exploded onto the scene this year in the slams as she has been remarkably consistent in reaching the deep end of the majors so far with two semi finals in Melbourne and Paris and the final at Wimbledon, which shows Bouchard really is a player that is in it for the big events. Bouchard's problem however was that after losing so emphatically in the Wimbledon final to Petra Kvitova, she went on to struggle during the American hard court swing and suffered early exists in Montreal and Cincinnati, which puts a question mark over her in how will she cope in the final slam of the year. But the only way we will find out the answer to that one is to wait and see but if she does find her form then I think it would be safe to say that she could reach the semi finals or maybe even the final depending on her draw. But to be honest I think Bouchard will need to ensure she has put her post Wimbledon disappointment well behind her and if she hasn't it could be an early exit, but if she has then I think she go deep into the second week, but I don't see her as the eventual champion as the young lass would need to play amazing tennis to grind her way past the game's veterans. Prediction: 2nd round, quarters or semi finals.
Caroline Wozniacki
After that we have Caroline Wozniacki who of course is a former World No.1 and also like Jelena Jankovic, a former finalist at the US Open who lost out to Kim Clijsters. Caroline of course has never won a major and in some ways you could compare her career for a while to Andy Murray's (pre-Lendl that is) in that she was a player that had all the talent to win a major title but just wasn't able to make that final push. And Caroline had suffered a bit of a decline over the last two years but this year she has started to find her form again as she has reguarly been reaching the deep end in tournaments and has also even given Serena Williams a good run for her money in their last two meetings in Montreal and Cincinnati in two three set battles both won by Serena. However Caroline has never been that consistent in the majors in recent years and her best result this year has been in reaching the 4th round at Wimbledon and that leaves enough room for doubt in her progress in New York. And part of this might also be attributed towards the fact that while the players on the ladies tour can bring their coaches onto court during matches they can't do it in the majors, and Caroline quite often is dependant on her dad, who has been her coach for many years, giving her advice during matches. So this leaves Caroline trying to sort it out for herself on court when things go wrong, which possibly explains why she hasn't done so well in the majors as she has become almost too dependent on her dad, Pietor's coaching. Not only that Caroline doesn't really have a big game or serve and she doesn't get too many free points on her serve although her first serve percentage is quite high and she has one of the best two handed backhands in the ladies game, but against the big hitters such as Serena or Sharapova, she has often come up second best. But I think this year Caroline just might have a decent run in New York and while I don't see her winning the title I think she might make the last 16 or 8, and if she makes the quarters then who knows what might happen from there, but if a certain Serena lies ahead of her in the 4th round or later, then that's as far as she might get. Prediction: 4th round of quarter finals.
Victoria Azarenka
Next is old Vika, or Victoria Azarenka, the former World No.1 and two time finalist in New York and you might well ask why she is so far down this list. Well the reason why is because she has been out of the game for half of the year virtually with a foot injury which naturally has seen her without many matches under her belt, which has left largely unprepared against the top players. Vika however if her game is on can be very tough to beat and in her hayday she has been known to destroy and flatten her opponents quite emphatically and if she win 6-0, 6-0 she'll do it without any mercy. However those days for now are pretty much behind Vika and I think she will probably struggle to put together a strong run in New York but that's not say if she can somehow battle her way into the 2nd week that she hasn't got a chance to go deeper, but its the lack of matchplay that remains a problem for Vika here. So while I think if Vika can hang in she has a shot at making it to the final I think at this stage that is a bridge too far, so for now the Belarusian might just survive the first week and maybe she can get to the last eight but probably not beyond that. Prediction: 3rd, 4th round or quarter finals.
Petra Kvitova
Next down the list is Petra Kvitova who has triumphed again this year at Wimbledon as she obliterated Eugenie Bouchard in the final to claim her 2nd title at the All England Club. Petra however hasn't enjoyed the same success at the US Open and she never gotten past the 4th round there and has had her share of early exits at Flushing meadows so that's why she is a bit further down this list. Petra no doubt however has a very powerful game and she can knock any player off their rhythym if she is on form, then she can be virtually unplayable as she can blast winners from just about anywhere on the court. But the problem with Petra is that she is somewhat inconsistent and erratic in her form and when she is off she can be really off and can play matches like the equivalent of a car insurance write off (not the best anology!). So Petra's form will really depend on if she is having a good week going into the championships or if she does enough to survive the first week and can gain momentum in the 2nd like she did at Wimbledon. Can Petra win it??? Not entirely convinced to be honest but I think she might just make the 2nd week, maybe the last 16 or possibly even 8 but not beyond that. Prediction: 4th round or quarter finals.
Dominika Cibulkova
And last but not least we have the pint sized Slovak player, Dominika Cibulkova who earlier this year made a great run in reaching the final of the Australian open where she lost to Li Na. Dominika has show what she lacks in his height she can make up for intensity as the pint sized Slovak (at 5ft 3 inches she is the shortest ladies player on the tour, or at least one of them!) is a great athlete and also possess a powerful game despite her size. However Cibulkova's height can also be a bit of a weakness in that because she is so small she has to overcompensate and play a more aggressive game which can force her to make more errors. Cibulkova has produced more consistent results in the slams in the past few years however which will go in her favour and she has reached the quarter finals of the US Open before albeit four years ago, so maybe Dominika can find her way into the 2nd week again this time round. As for her chances.... well I don't Cibulkova winning the title but I do think she can possibly reach the last eight if she plays well enough but possibly not go beyond that. Prediction: quarter finals.
And that is that for my predictions and look at the ladies preview for the US Open this year, I will see if one or two them turn true in a couple of weeks time. And I will be back with more to report once the tournament is under way next week.
Till then bye for now!
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