The 2022 US Open is upon us and being the final Grand Slam event of the year, players will be going all out to make sure they produce good results.
With the women’s singles draw now revealed, each player knows what to expect, their potential paths to the title and more.
Seeds:
- Iga Swiatek
- Anett Kontaveit
- Maria Sakkari
- Paula Badosa
- Ons Jabeur
- Aryna Sabalenka
- Simona Halep
- Jessica Pegula
- Garbine Muguruza
- Daria Kasatkina
- Emma Raducanu
- Coco Gauff
- Belinda Bencic
- Leylah Fernandez
- Beatriz Haddad Maia
- Jelena Ostapenko
- Caroline Garcia
- Veronika Kudermetova
- Danielle Collins
- Madison Keys
- Petra Kvitova
- Karolina Pliskova
- Barbora Krejcikova
- Amanda Anisimova
- Elena Rybakina
- Victoria Azarenka
- Martina Trevisan
- Ekaterina Alexandrova
- Alison Riske-Amitraj
- Jil Teichmann
- Shelby Rogers
- Elise Mertens
One of the major stories of this year’s tournament is that it is Serena Williams’ final tournament as a professional tennis player. The 23-time Grand Slam champion recently announced that she would be calling time on her illustrious career and she will be looking to end it with a deep run at Flushing Meadows.
Serena definitely has not had it easy since making her return to the court after a year at Wimbledon in March, but she would surely like to end it all on a positive note at her home Slam. The 40-year-old was stunned by Harmony Tan in the Wimbledon opening round in June and this time, she faces World No.80 Danka Kovinic in the US Open first round.
Kovinic is not in the best of form having lost her last five matches, but she could still be tricky for Serena. If she gets through the first round, Serena could face World No.2 Kontaveit in the second round. Fernandez, Jabeur, Halep, Gauff and Swiatek are also possible opponents along the way for the six-time US Open champion.
This is a tough draw for Serena and considering her recent form, a fairytale ending to her career might not be on the cards but she will bask in every minute she gets to play.
Defending champion Emma Raducanu is also faced with a tricky draw. The Brit, who shocked the world by claiming the title from qualifying last year, faces the tricky Alize Cornet in the opening round.
Cornet ended World No.1 Iga Swiatek’s 37-match winning streak in the third round at Wimbledon. The 32-year-old is known to cause upsets and so this meeting spells danger for Raducanu.
Raducanu has been struggling to match the form that led her to the title 12 months ago, and this time she will be under a lot of scrutiny as she comes into a tournament as a defending champion for the first time in her very young career. Defeating Serena and Victoria Azarenka back to back in Cincinnati could however be a confidence booster for the 19-year-old. In those two matches, Raducanu showed that she can still be a quality operator.
If she scales through the Cornet hurdle, Raducanu could clash with two-time champion Naomi Osaka, reigning Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina and big-hitting World No.6 Aryna Sabalenka before the quarterfinals. A brutal draw, but the Brit has recently talked about not being under pressure, saying she is willing to start from scratch and build again even if she is unable to successfully defend her title in New York.
Swiatek, who has been shaky since Wimbledon, faces Italy’s Jasmine Paolini in the first round. The World No.1 will be looking to shrug off recent inconsistency and hoist the US Open trophy for the first time.
It has been an incredible season so far for the Pole and it could become even more memorable with a third Grand Slam title in New York.
Swiatek’s potential path to the title:
First round: Paolini
Second round: Stephens
Third round: Alexandrova
Fourth round: Ostapenko
Quarterfinals: Pegula
Semifinals: Badosa
Final: Kontaveit
Notable first round matches:
Naomi Osaka v Danielle Collins
Maria Sakkari v Tatjana Maria
Karolina Muchova v Ajla Tomljanovic
Venus Williams v Alison Van Uytvanck
Jelena Ostapenko v Qinwen Zheng
Veronika Kudermetova v Donna Vekic
Madison Keys v Dayana Yastremska
Amanda Anisimova v Yulia Putintseva
Projected Quarterfinals:
Swiatek v Pegula
Badosa v Sabalenka
Halep v Sakkari
Jabeur v Kontaveit
Prize Money:
First round: $80,000
Second round: $121,000
Third round: $188,000
Round of 16: $278,000
Quarterfinals: $445,000
Semifinals: $705,000
Final: $1.3 million
Champion: $2.6 million
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