By Richard Pagliaro | Thursday, August 21, 2025Photo credit score: Jon Buckle/ROLEX
NEW YORK—Aryana Sabalenka scaled main psychological mountains beating again Jessica Pegula and the American crowd to assert her maiden US Open crown final September.
The 2025 US Open draw pops with difficult crests for the world No. 1 in her title protection.
The draw was revealed as we speak. Listed below are our prime takeaways.
Draw Winners(2) Iga Swiatek (POL)
Swiatek’s robust title run within the Queen Metropolis set her up for a shot on the crown in Queens. By successful Cincinnati, the place she didn’t drop a set, Swiatek vaulted previous Coco Gauff for the No. 2 seed in New York. The result’s a kinder draw with No. 1 Sabalenka on the alternative aspect.
The Wimbledon winner opens in opposition to Emiliana Arango along with her first attainable seeded opponent No. 29 Anna Kalinskaya, who owns a hard-court win over the Pole that Swiatek avenged, 6-3, 6-4, in Cincinnati. Should you watched the US Open Combined Doubles occasion then you definitely noticed Swiatek volley about in addition to I’ve seen her volley in years. Her serve has been an asset in each her Wimbledon and Cincinnati title journeys. If seeds maintain true to kind Swiatek would face Amanada Anisimova in a US Open quarterfinal that might be a Wimbledon closing rematch.
(4) Jessica Pegula (USA)
The dangerous information for Pegula is she’s defending her 2024 US Open closing factors and since she beat Swiatek to take the Dangerous Homburg title on grass in June, she’s gone a dismal 2-4.
The excellent news for J-Peg: She regarded completely happy, wholesome and efficient in US Open Combined Doubles and truly performed higher—significantly at web and on return—then companion Jack Draper. So that ought to infuse her with some confidence after a summer time of battle. The query is that if situations are windy can Pegula, who performs flatter than almost any High 10 participant, maintain the ball within the courtroom and nonetheless go after her photographs? Pegula has draw, however there are harmful gamers in her quarter together with fifth-seeded Mirra Andreeva, former gold-medal champion Belinda Bencic and the usually missed, however very harmful Liudmila Samsonova. Montreal champion Victoria Mboko and two-time main champion Barbora Krejcikova are additionally on this quarter, however given Pegula’s latest struggles she ought to be happy she has some room to maneuver.
(6) Madison Keys (USA)
Australian Open champion Keys is able to magical highs and maddening lows, however she has reached quarterfinals or higher in 4 of her final eight match begins. Keep in mind, Keys is a former US Open finalist, able to bringing her greatest in Slams. Keys, who opens in opposition to Renata Zarazua, has twice reached US Open semifinals (2018 and 2023) since her loss to buddy Sloane Stephens within the 2017 closing. Keys is in a tough quarter together with two-time US Open champion Naomi Osaka and 2023 title holder Coco Gauff, but when seeds maintain true to kind she’d solely must face considered one of them within the quarterfinals—if she will get that far. Keys can nonetheless crush the hip excessive forehand and her serve stays a weapon although she generally hits herself into hassle indulging her backhand-down-the-line need slightly than taking part in that stroke crosscourt and even down the center till she will be able to tee off on the forehand
Draw Losers(1) Aryna Sabalenka
Clearly, the world No. 1 can go all the best way if she’s on her recreation. The problem is Sabalenka was not sharp in Cincinnati the place she sailed her favored backhand dropping to former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina—and he or she’s going through the strain of defending the two,000 factors for her 2024 US Open championship.
Sabalenka can beat anybody, however her quarter is stacked with Rybakina, who simply beat her, 2021 finalist Leylah Fernandez, who’s coming off the Washington, DC title, Clara Tauson, the most effective servers within the sport, and Cincinnati finalist Jasmine Paolini, who gave Iga Swiatek a troublesome first set. Nonetheless, Sabalenka has reached semifinals or higher in 9 of her final 10 main appearances so she stays a favourite—it’s simply her path, on paper, is far harder than 2022 champion Swiatek.
(3) Coco Gauff (USA)
Some are slamming Gauff’s transfer of axing coach Matt Daly days earlier than the US Open to usher in biomechanical coach Gavin MacMillan, who helped Sabalenka repair her someday wayward serve.
Personally, I can’t blame Gauff given the shoddy state of her serve and the significance of her hunt for a second US Open title. She clanked 43 double faults in three matches in Montreal, together with a mind-blowing 23 doubles vs. Danielle Collins, whom she nonetheless managed to beat. Gauff leads the Tour in double faults and is aware of higher than all of us, you can’t win the US Open coughing up 20-plus doubles in a match. That’s a recipe for catastrophe.
That mentioned, can Gauff make sufficient progress with MacMillan in 4 days to refine slightly than utterly reconstruct her serve? In as we speak’s follow the pair additionally put a number of work in on Gauff’s forehand swing.
Think about Gauff is commonly at her greatest taking part in instinctual tennis, so it’s a must to surprise if the modifications she’s making in follow may trigger paralysis by evaluation and make her overthink it? The serve is an actual downside, however there are different challenges. Gauff has gone 4-4 since she rallied previous Sabalenka to win her second main championship at Roland Garros. Gauff’s quarter contains Madison Keys and Naomi Osaka and he or she opens in opposition to Aussie Ajla Tomljanovic, who handed Serena Williams her final defeat on the US Open. Her pace, daring backhand and competitiveness make Gauff a menace each time she steps on courtroom, however given all that’s happening it’s an enormous ask to anticipate a deep run right here.
Emma Raducanu (GBR)
The 2021 US Open champion performed one of the dramatic WTA matches of this season almost knocking No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka out of Cincinnati simply weeks after Raducanu led the Belarusian in each units earlier than bowing in Wimbledon.
Working with now ex-coach Mark Petchey, Raducanu rediscovered the enjoyment in her recreation. On this draw, she may confront some harmful energy gamers, together with Veronika Kudermetova in spherical two adopted by a possible third-round assembly with ninth-seeded Elena Rybakina who crushed Raducanu of their lone assembly. Raducanu is taking part in her greatest tennis in years this season, however this draw presents main pitfalls for a fan favourite.
First-Rounders to Watch
(11) Karolina Muchova (CZE) vs. (WC) Venus Williams (USA)Head-to-head: Muchova leads 1-0
In professional tennis, you don’t usually get what you deserve, you get what you get. What 45-year-old Venus Williams obtained in her potential farewell is a really robust project in opposition to all-court expertise Muchova, who beat the two-time US Open champion 6-3, 7-5 within the 2020 Open first spherical.
The pair confronted off in Combined Doubles this week with Muchova and Andrey Rublev beating Williams and Reilly Opelka. This might be an evening match with New York followers saluting the legendary Venus 25 years after she gained her maiden US Open crown.
(14) Clara Tauson (DEN) vs. Alexandra Eala (PHI)Head-to-head: First assembly
Tauson is without doubt one of the greatest servers on the WTA Tour and confirmed it toppling Iga Swiatek and Madison Keys in succession to achieve the Montreal semifinals the place she ran out of gasoline in opposition to Naomi Osaka earlier this month. The 20-year-old Eala lit up the Miami Open upsetting Jelena Ostapenko, Madison Keys, Paula Badosa and Swiatek en path to the semifinals. The left-handed Eala is a crowd favourite with a knack for the down the road kill strike. The Tauson serve vs. Eala return will probably be a key element to the end result right here.
Barbora Krejcikova (CZE) vs. (22) Victoria Mboko (CAN)First assembly
Two-time Grand Slam champion Krejcikova can shrewdly combine spins and speeds and is a nice volleyer, too. The 18-year-old Mboko lit up her dwelling nation rallying previous Naomi Osaka to win Montreal this month. Mboko made historical past because the second-youngest lady in WTA historical past to defeat 4 Grand Slam champion—Sofia Kenin, Coco Gauff, Elena Rybakina and Osaka—en path to a championship. Solely legendary Serena Williams, who was a 17-year-old dynamo clad in canary-colored Puma gown when she knocked off 4 main champions, together with world No. 1 Martina Hingis to win the 1999 US Open, was youthful.
This match pits Krejcikova’s all-court acumen vs. Mboko’s pace and defensive dazzle, however the Canadian doesn’t simply play run and chase, she is fearless driving the ball down the road. Mboko injured her wrist crashing to the courtroom in her win over Rybakina and skipped Cincinnati to relaxation and get better so well being could possibly be an element right here.
Ashlyn Krueger (USA) vs. (26) Sofia Kenin (USA)Head-to-head: Even 1-1
Former Australian Open champion Kenin gained their lone hard-court conflict, 6-4, 6-4 in Doha earlier this yr. Coached by Michael Joyce, Krueger has posted wins over Elena Rybakina, Daria Kasatkina and Leylah Fernandez this season. Kenin used her artful drop shot effectively of their final assembly and that could possibly be a key shot within the rematch.
