Here are the top-5 women and men to watch at this year’s U.S. Open at Flushing Meadows:
Men to watch
1. Carlos Alcaraz
The top seed for the third consecutive Grand Slam, Alcaraz brings a World No. 1 ranking into the U.S. Open though he lost to Novak Djokovic at the Cincinnati Open by the narrowest of margins last week. The reigning U.S. Open winner will look to defend his title and, in turn, maintain his ranking ahead of Djokovic.
2. Novak Djokovic
Back at the U.S. Open for the first time since 2021, the second-seeded Djokovic enters the tournament in prime position to reclaim his No. 1 ranking. Djokovic has no points to defend after he missed the tournament last year because he refused to be vaccinated against COVID-19. So if Alcaraz does not win the title again, the Serbian would leapfrog the Spaniard, to whom he lost in the finals at Wimbledon.
3. Daniil Medvedev
The 2021 U.S. Open winner and No. 3 seed is coming off his first clay-court ATP Masters 1000 title, in Rome, and a semifinal finish at Wimbledon. He was even hotter earlier in the season, when he won four titles amid a run of five straight finals, including a runner-up finish at Indian Wells and a championship at Miami.
4. Frances Tiafoe
After falling just short of defeating Alcaraz in five sets in the semifinals of the 2022 U.S. Open, Tiafoe, the 10th seed, is presumably coming into this tournament with a vengeance amid his career-high ranking. The hard courts are where Tiafoe thrives, which is evident in his 75 percent win rate and 15-5 record on such a surface so far this year.
5. Sebastian Korda
Korda has been sidelined for much of 2023 with an injury, but the 23-year-old, No. 31 seed is looking to get back to the form with which he started the year. The American made the Adelaide 1 final, at which he lost to Djokovic, before he reached the quarterfinals of a major, the Australian Open, for the first time in his career.
Women to watch
1. Coco Gauff
Coming off a two-set win over the Czech Republic’s Karolina Muchova at the Cincinnati Open, the 19-year-old, No. 6 seed is the first teenager to capture five career titles since Caroline Wozniacki in 2009. Gauff has been on a hot streak, winning 11 of her past 12 matches, and will be looking to surpass her quarterfinal finish at the 2022 tournament amid new additions to her coaching team.
2. Iga Swiatek
With a chance to defend her U.S. Open title, the top seed is searching for her fifth career major championship. There’s a possibility Gauff and Swiatek could meet in the quarterfinals for a rematch of their bout at the Western and Southern Open Championship, at which Gauff prevailed over Swiatek for the first time in eight tries.
3. Caroline Wozniacki
Returning to the Open for the first time since 2019, Wozniacki is set to join an exclusive group of women who have made a comeback after having two children. The 33-year-old former World No. 1 last played in a Grand Slam event at the 2020 Australian Open, in which she lost in the third round.
4. Jessica Pegula
The No. 3 seed is still on the hunt for her first major title, and she has never advanced to the semifinals in singles at a Grand Slam tournament. The highest-ranked American, however, convincingly won the Canadian Open earlier this month and is looking to bring that momentum with her to Flushing Meadows.
5. Aryna Sabalenka
Entering the Open as the second-seed with a staggering 24-5 hard-court record, Sabalenka has reached at least the semifinals in all three majors this season. She’s in the midst of a turnaround year in 2023, in which she has clearly been on a mission to surpass Swiatek for the WTA’s No. 1 ranking.
