Richard Pagliaro | Thursday, August 21, 2025
Image source: Jon Buckle/Rolex
New York-Aryana Sabalenka Zoom the main spiritual mountain range, defeating Jessica Pegula and the American crowd, and won her virgin American Open title last September.
The 2025 U.S. Open Pop is the challenge peak that ranked number one in the world in her championship battle.
The lottery was revealed today. This is our first choice.
Attract winners
(2) Iga Swiatek (POL)
Swiatek’s strong title at Queens City gave her a shot at the Queens crown. By winning Cincinnati at Swiatek, Swiatek crossed Coco Gauff to become the No. 2 seed in New York. The result is a kind draw on the other side, where 1 sabalenka.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ju2o-2qoc-u
Wimbledon Champion faces Emiliana Arango with her first possible seed rival, Anna Kalinskaya, who has a 6-3, 6-4 revenge pole in Cincinnati. If you watched the U.S. Open Mixed Doubles, you’ll see Swiatek volleys, and I’ve seen her volleys over the years. Her serving is an asset in her Wimbledon and Cincinnati titles. If the seeds are loyal to forming Swiatek, they will face Amanada Anisimova in the U.S. Open quarterfinals, which will be Wimbledon’s final.
(4) Jessica Pegula (USA)
The bad news for Pegula is that she defended her 2024 U.S. Open final and she lost 2-4 2024 since she beat Swiatek to win the Bad Homburg title on the grass in June.
The good news for J-Peg: She looks happy, healthy and effective in the open mixed doubles in the US and actually performs better – especially online and on the return, then partner Jack Draper. In this way, this should be full of confidence after struggling in the summer. The question is, if there is windy conditions than almost any top ten players can keep the ball on the court and still follow her shot? Pegula had a nice draw, but her quarters included Mirra Andreeva of the fifth seed, former gold medal champion Belinda Bencic and the often overlooked but very dangerous liudmila samsonova. Montreal champion Victoria Mboko and two-time Grand Slam champion Barbora Krejcikova are also in the quarter, but considering Pegula’s recent struggles, she should be glad she has some room to move.
(6) Madison Case (USA)
The Australian Open Championship Key is able to have magical climaxes and crazy lows, but she has reached the quarter-finals or higher in four of her last eight games. Remember, Keys are a former U.S. Open finalist who can bring the biggest slam. Keys’ open rate to Renata Zarazua has reached the U.S. Open semifinals (2018 and 2023) twice since losing to Buddy Sloane Stephens in the 2017 final. Keys went into a tricky quarter with two-time U.S. Open champion Naomi Osaka and 2023 champion holder Coco Gauff, but if Seeds stays true, she only needs to face one of them in the quarterfinals if she can that far. The key can still crush the hip-high forehand, her serve is still a weapon
Attract losers
(1) Aryna Sabalenka
Obviously, if she was in the game, the world could go all the way. The challenge is that Sabalenka is not sharp in Cincinnati, where she raised her backhand and lost to former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina, who is under pressure to defend 2,000 points for her 2024 U.S. Open Championship.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ujqtxo0jsi
Sabalenka can beat anyone, but her quarter is stacked with Rybakina, who just beat her, 2021 finalist Leylah Fernandez, who is coming off the Washington, DC title, Clara Tauson, one of the best servers in the sport, and Cincinnati finalist Jasmine Paolini, who gave Iga Swiatek a tough first set. On paper, it’s just her path, much harder than 2022 champion Swiatek.
(3) Coco Goff (USA)
Some people slam Gauff’s move a few days before the U.S. Open prompted coach Matt Daly to bring in biomechanics coach Gavin Macmillan, who helped Sabalenka fix her moment.
Personally, I can’t blame Goff for her serving in light of her vile form and the importance of her pursuit of a second American Open title. She caught 43 doubles in three games in Montreal, including an exciting 23 doubles against Danielle Collins, who still managed to beat. Gauff leads the tour with a double fault and knows better than all of us, you can’t win over 20 doubles in the U.S. Open. That’s the secret to disaster.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afagnb0tqac
That is, can Goff make enough progress with Macmillan in four days to perfect rather than completely rebuild her serve? During today’s exercise, the couple also worked a lot for Goff’s forehand swing.
Consider that Goff is usually her best instinctive tennis, so you have to doubt whether the changes she makes in practice will cause paralysis and overthink her through analysis? Service is a real problem, but there are other challenges. Goff has been successful 4-4 since Sabalenka won Roland Garros’ second big title. Gauff’s areas include Madison Keys and Naomi Osaka, who fought against Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic, who handed Serena Williams to the U.S. Open. Her speed, bold backhand and competitiveness make Goff a threat every time he appears in court, but given that everything is happening, it’s a big demand.
Emma Raducanu (GBR)
The 2021 U.S. Open champion competed in one of the most eye-catching WTA games of the season, and a few weeks later, Raducanu led the Belarusian in two sets to beat Cincinnati.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9c8qy1oizy
Raducanu teamed up with now former coach Mark Petchey to rediscover the joy of her game. In this draw, she can face some dangerous force participants in the second round, including Veronika Kudermetova, followed by a potential third round meeting with Elena Rybakina of the ninth seed, who smashed Raducanu at the only meeting. Raducanu has played tennis for many years this season, but the raffle draw has brought big traps to fans’ favorite traps.
First round viewer
(11) Karolina Muchova (CZE) vs. (WC) Venus Williams (USA)
Head-to-head: Muchova leads 1-0
In Pro tennis, you usually don’t get what you deserve, but you get what you gain. Venus Williams, 45, won a very difficult task for all-around talent Muchova, who beat the two-time U.S. Open champions 6-3, 7-5 in the first round of the 2020 Open.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ub-4p2ydwgi
The pair faced face to face with Muchova and Andrey Rublev this week in a mixed doubles defeat to Williams and Reilly Opelka. It’s likely to be a night game, with New York fans paying tribute to legendary Venus 25 years after winning their debut US Open Championship.
(14) Clara Tauson (Den) and Alexandra Eala (Phi)
Front: First meeting
Tauson, one of the best servers on the WTA Tour, showed Iga Swiatek and Madison Keys reaching the Montreal semifinals in a row, and she ran out of gasoline against Naomi Osaka earlier this month. The 20-year-old Eala ignited the Miami Open, leaving Jelena Ostapenko, Madison Keys, Paula Badosa and Swiatek on their way to the semifinals. Left-handed Eala is a crowd favorite and comes with a trick for downline killing to hit the ball. Tauson Serve vs. EALA return will be a key component of the results here.
Barbora Krejcikova (CZE) vs. (22) Victoria Mboko (CAN)
First meeting
Two-time Grand Slam champion Krejcikova can savvyly mix spin and speed and is also a good volleyball player. The 18-year-old Mboko won Montreal this month to win Naomi Osaka’s home country. Mboko became the biggest woman in WTA history in the second year, beating four Grand Slam champions – Sofia Kenin, Coco Gauff, Elena Rybakina and Osaka, the route to the championship. Only legendary Serena Williams is a 17-year-old Dynamo wearing a canary-colored Puma dress when she defeated four major titles, including world No. 1 Martina Hingis to win the 1999 U.S. Open.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xldwwq-t9xu
The game brought Krejcikova’s full-game acumen with Mboko’s speed and defense, but not only did the Canadian participate in the run and chase, but she fearlessly drove the ball off the line. Mboko hurt her wrist in the victory over Rybakina and skipped Cincinnati to rest and recover, so health could be a factor here.
Ashlyn Krueger (US) and (26) Sofia Kenning (US)
Front: Even 1-1
Former Australian Open champion Kenin won their only tough clash 6-4, 6-4 earlier this year in Doha. Under Michael Joyce’s guidance, Krueger won Elena Rybakina, Daria Kasatkina and Leylah Fernandez this season. Kenning used her sly drop rate at the last meeting, which could be a key shot in the rematch.
