US Open Preview: Serena Williams' swan song, her tag team dream team, and… another surprise winner?

– Who will win this year’s Open? Honestly, it’s anyone’s guess: The field is as vast as recent memory, with plenty of key contenders either receiving minor injuries or just out of shape on the eve of the tournament. Coco Gauff may be the exception to this trend, finding her form and focus at the perfect time – despite being seeded th, as long as the ankle injury she suffered in Cincinnati isn’t still there, she’s very It’s easy to nag to victory here. No. 1 seed Iga Swatek is the clear favorite, but so far this season hasn’t been great. Seventh-seeded Simona Halep has been playing with lights out but appears to be nursing a thigh injury (and doesn’t have a stellar record overall in New York); 11th-seeded Raducanu got Cinderella here last year The title of the story, and since the spotlight has been on her, she hasn’t played nearly as well, but she’s had a hard-court warm-up at the Open, so there’s no impossibility (though she might have to dig deep to get away with it) Her first-round opponent, the tenacious Alize Cornet). Then there’s Ons Jabeur, Maria Sakkari and Paula Badosa — again, they’re all capable, but none of them give us a reason to support them heading into Week 1 of the Open.

Let’s move around here: this is Serena’s game, but this year we’re winning it with Coco Gauff – she’s been perfecting her game, her off-court preparation, and her nerves at the moment. With the crowd around her and a favorable route to the later rounds, it was her time.