Women's Tournament Preview 2023 US Open: Can defending champion Swiatek continue dominance or will chasing pack find answers?
WTA
The 2023 US Open will kick off between August 28 - September 10, with the Women's Draw the first focus of our preview ahead of the tournament getting underway as Iga Swiatek aims to defend her title and World Number One spot.
But Swiatek's streak atop WTA Tennis has been under threat increasingly in recent months. Aryna Sabalenka is hot on her heels and with Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff now gatecrashing the party alongside Elena Rybakina, it means a wide open US Open on the Women's side.
Swiatek under pressure
Like Wimbledon last year, it was Ons Jabeur in the final who heartbreakingly lost another shot at a Grand Slam in an imperious run for Swiatek. She took down Pegula, Sabalenka and Jabeur back-to-back to back in order to claim the title for the first time at Flushing Meadows.
But is her dominance starting to wane? After winning Roland Garros, she has blown hot and cold with a public statement aiming to stop abuse to players for losing sets of tennis potentially showing a dent in her armour.
Often a feature of her game as of late has been this slow start followed by a devastating conclusion in which she produces some spellbinding tennis. But a concerning sign came from Cincinnati champion, Coco Gauff.
The American hadn't won in the past seven meetings against Swiatek and had lost 14 sets in a row, but finally cracked the code and will now find herself as one of the main favourites to dethrone Swiatek.
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Sabalenka's inability to close out World No.1 spot
But some solace for Swiatek comes from her closest rival being unable to unseat her despite best laid plans. At Wimbledon in particular, she was a game away with Marketa Vondrousova the shock winner. She of course nearly went into a winner takes all match at Roland Garros, but Karolina Muchova undid her.
While Sabalenka has won a maiden Grand Slam, her next mental hurdle has to be top spot with Swiatek more keeping hold of it due to fate and Sabalenka herself than her own tennis.
Swiatek though has 2,000 points to defend in New York compared to the 780 of Sabalenka meaning that on the live rankings, the latter is on top. But Swiatek has a simple equation, outperform Sabalenka to keep top spot.
If Swiatek wins the title, she remains top. But if she doesn't, Sabalenka finally has chance to unseat her and would become favourite as a result.
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Pegula and Gauff home hopes after thwarting Big Three
One of the big hopes will come at home from Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff, they will need to deal with the US Open pressure though. The former won Montreal despite the fact that it was seen by many as handed to her due to Rybakina and Liudmila Samsonova playing multiple games in a day.
But it was still a landmark and just like in doubles, it was done in tandem by her friend Gauff as she took honours at the Cincinnati Open. She also won the pre US Open hard court opener in Washington and has gone from strength to strength under former Agassi coach, Brad Gilbert and Pere Riba.
Many will expect with Coco who has long been a top talent, but with Swiatek not at her best at the moment. It could be the golden opportunity that she needs to delight albeit without the sudden tag of previous winners like Emma Raducanu, Bianca Andreescu and Sloane Stephens who all enjoyed meteoric rises followed by falls.
Gauff on the other hand has been consistent for a long time and is unlocking some of the best parts of her game at the moment. So while they will be partners in doubles, Pegula and Gauff will battle in singles as two of the leading outsiders this time.
Rybakina question marks, returns for Wozniacki, Brady and Svitolina
Outside the main two is Elena Rybakina who will be fourth seed. Seen as part of a Big Three with Swiatek and Sabalenka, she has lost the World Number Three and will aim to keep in touch this time.
Albeit with a back drop of illness issues, injury and frankly burnout for the former Wimbledon champion. She got to the semi-finals in Montreal in a fiasco which saw the Kazakh play late night all week then play twice in a day.
She slammed the WTA and looked almost out on her feet in both there and Cincinnati. She retired early from her tie in Cincinnati in a tournament that she likely wouldn't have played if not a WTA 1000.
Question marks remain, but the early retirement might give fuel to the fire and give her a refreshed outlook. Or Montreal could simply be a catalyst for an early exit.
While those questions are there. It is also a chance for some big names to return to the US Open.
Caroline Wozniacki makes her Grand Slam return after playing in Montreal and Cincinnati as of late. Fans were delighted to see her in pre tournament events and living in America with her husband, David Lee, it is almost a home Grand Slam.
A former finalist, she will aim to rekindle some of that magic. As will Elina Svitolina who has been a doubt with a foot injury. She was seen with a boot on with her husband, Gael Monfils having his own mini revival himself.
Svitolina has had a summer to remember with runs at Roland Garros and Wimbledon and despite being undercooked as such heading into the US swing, she will hope that feel good feeling continues.
Reaching the semi-finals in 2020, Jennifer Brady will also return showing good signs in her return outings. Venus Williams will also be a star attraction as ever in the first year without Serena Williams. Ajla Tomljanovic who retired her is also back after injury in a super intriguing proposition. Wide open as ever, but who takes the crown?
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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