Where the seeds may fall – Ros Satar takes a look at the US Open women’s seeds
World No. 1 Serena Williams cemented her position as the top seed for the US Open where she is chasing a career slam, after she successfully defended her title at the Western and Southern Open as the annual lottery looms on Thursday.
[1] Serena Williams – sits at the top of the draw, opposite from Cincinnati finalist Simona Halep.
Will face players seeded 25-32 in the third round, 13-16 in the fourth round and 5-8 in the quarter-finals
[2] Simona Halep – occupies the bottom place in the draw, opposite from Serena Williams
Will face players seeded 25-32 in the third round, 13-16 in the fourth round and 5-8 in the quarter-finals
[3] Maria Sharapova [4] Caroline Wozniacki
One in Serena’s half of the draw, one in Halep’s side
Will face players seeded 25-32 in the third round, 13-16 in the fourth round and 5-8 in the quarter-finals
[5] Petra Kvitova, [6] Lucie Safarova, [7] Ana Ivanovic [8] Karolina Pliskova
Will face players seeded 25-32 in the third round, 9-12 in the fourth round and 1-4 in the quarter-finals
[9] Garbine Muguruza, [10] Carla Suarez Navarro, [11] Angelique Kerber, [12] Belinda Bencic
Will face players seeded 17-24 in the third round and 5-8 in the fourth round
[13] Ekaterina Makarova, [14] Timea Bacsinszky, [14] Agnieszka Radwanska, [16] Sara Errani
Will face players seeded 17-24 in the third round and 1-4 in the quarter-finals
[17] Elina Svitolina, [18] Andrea Petkovic, [19] Madison Keys, [20] Victoria Azarenka
[21] Jelena Jankovic, [22] Samantha Stosur, [23] Venus Williams, [24] Sabine Lisicki
Will face players seeded 9-16 in the third round
[25] Eugenie Bouchard, [26] Flavia Pennetta, [27] Alize Cornet, [28] Irina-Camelia Begu
[29] Sloane Stephens, [30] Svetlana Kuznetsova, [31] Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. [32] Anna Karolina Schmiedlova
Will face players seeded 1-8 in the third round.
Luckiest names in the draw are Sharapova and Wozniacki – neither come in with great form thanks to niggling injuries. Sharapova looks to be in a race against time to be ready, having withdrawn in Cincinnati before even getting to strike a ball. Wozniacki has also struggled to hit the heights of the form she showed this time last year, but clinched the [4] spot from Kvitova, who struggles at this part of the swing.
Dangerous floater of the year continues to be Azarenka who is likely to be a headache for people in the later rounds, if she has gotten over the leg injury that sent her packing early from Cincinnati.
WTA Rising stars to watch out for –Bencic, who has been on a bit of a tear since the summer, although is also fending off an injury that saw her tearfully withdraw in Cincinnati. Muguruza now faces that tricky mantle of Slam finalist – can she soar again, or will she bow under the pressure of expectation. She charmed the socks of everyone at Wimbledon with her run to the final, but she has never been past the first round in Flushing Meadows.
Svitolina and Pliskova have catapulted themselves into the higher seedings with good results this year, but can expect a lot of pressure to deliver in the later rounds.
If you think there are few familiar faces in the lower tiers, just take a look at class of [21]-[24] – US Open champions (Venus, Stosur), US Open finalist Jankovic, and Wimbledon finalist Lisicki, with US Open champion Kuznetsova following on, seeded [30]. There is no shortage of experience which could trouble the higher seeds if their game is on (just cast your minds back to Wimbledon champion Kvitova being ousted by Jankovic earlier this year).
With players already sporting all manner of twinges and aches and pains already after the back to back Toronto/Cincinnati run, this year’s US Open could be the most unpredictable yet, and we will be doing a full draw run down.
The draw takes place on Thursday 27 August
1. Serena Williams, United States
2. Simona Halep, Romania
3. Maria Sharapova, Russia
4. Caroline Wozniacki, Denmark
5. Petra Kvitova, Czech Republic
6. Lucie Safarova, Czech Republic
7. Ana Ivanovic, Serbia
8. Karolina Pliskova, Czech Republic
9. Garbiñe Muguruza, Spain
10. Carla Suarez Navarro, Spain
11. Angelique Kerber, Germany
12. Belinda Bencic, Switzerland
13. Ekaterina Makarova, Russia
14. Timea Bacsinszky, Switzerland
15. Agnieszka Radwanska, Poland
16. Sara Errani, Italy
17. Elina Svitolina, Ukraine
18. Andrea Petkovic, Germany
19. Madison Keys, United States
20. Victoria Azarenka, Belarus
21. Jelena Jankovic, Serbia
22. Samantha Stosur, Australia
23. Venus Williams, United States
24. Sabine Lisicki, Germany
25. Eugenie Bouchard, Canada
26. Flavia Pennetta, Italy
27. Alizé Cornet, France
28. Irina-Camelia Begu, Romania
29. Sloane Stephens, United States
30. Svetlana Kuznetsova, Russia
31. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Russia
32. Anna Karolina Schmiedlova, Slovakia
Topics: Ros Satar, Tennis, US Open, Women's tennis seeds, Wta
WHERE THE SEEDS MAY FALL – @rfsatar TAKES A LOOK AT THE @usopen WOMEN’S SEEDS- http://t.co/6qe3hYAWpA #tennis #WTA #USOpen2015