The US Open kicks off with Day 1 on Monday. 64 women compete on opening day, which means we have 32 matches. As always, we at LWOT are here to share our thoughts on the matches. In addition to this article, we split the other matches between seven other articles. Those articles feature Naomi Osaka vs Marie Bouzkova, Elena Rybakina vs Aliaksandra Sasnovich, Angelique Kerber vs Dayana Yastremska, Victoria Azarenka vs Tereza Martincova, Simona Halep vs Camila Giorgi, Donna Vekic vs Garbine Muguruza, and Madison Keys vs Sloane Stephens. Predicting this set of matches are Tracey Essex, Jakub Bobro, and Yesh Ginsburg.
US Open Day 1 Women’s Predictions
Mayar Sherif vs Anhelina Kalinina
Tracey:
Kalinina has turned in her best results on the ITF circuit. It’s a big opportunity for the Ukrainian to start strong. Sherif has not dropped a set in qualifiers–certainly a strong performance. While Kalinina’s best results are on clay, she should be able to dismiss the Egyptian threat in straight sets.
Prediction: Kalinina in 2
Jakub:
Mayar Sherif enters the main draw as a lucky loser after her final qualifying round loss to Emma Raducanu. Before that the Egyptian earned wins over 15-year-old Clervie Ngounoue and Yuliya Hatouka in qualifying. Anhelina Kalinina has had a stunning year on clay with 4 ITF titles (1 $100k, 2 $60k, 1 $25k) and a WTA final in Budapest. Before that Budapest final, the Ukrainian was on a 14-match winning streak, but has lost her last three matches since then.
Prediction: Sherif in 3
Yesh:
Sherif is making history, mostly on hard courts. Ons Jabeur might be the standard-bearer for Arab tennis players, but Sherif is much younger, and not at all far behind in talent. On a hard court, the Egyptian should have the advantage.
Prediction: Sherif in 3
Ivana Jorovic vs Maria Camila Osorio Serrano
Tracey:
Osorio Serrano should continue to climb up the rankings ladder. The young Columbian has a variety of tools and should improve with experience. Osorio Serrano will prove too much for Serbia’s Jorovic in this clash.
Prediction: Osorio Serrano in 2
Jakub:
Ivana Jorovic is in the US Open with a special ranking as she is currently outside of the Top 300. The 24-year-old is on a three-match losing streak including a retirement in her last match two weeks ago. 19-year-old Maria Camila Osorio Serrano has had a breakout year so far in 2021, breaking into the Top 100, winning WTA title in Bogota, but she has hit a rough patch recently. The Colombian has failed to even win a set in her last four matches, so neither player is in great form here.
Prediction: Osorio Serrano in 3
Yesh:
Osorio Serrano looks like such an impressive talent in the near future. She’s playing well now, but not amazing, which means she can be vulnerable to upsets. Jorovic is solid enough with a big enough game that she can win, but the Colombian should be viewed as more likely.
Prediction: Osorio Serrano in 3
Nina Stojanovic vs Aryna Sabalenka
Tracey:
Sabalenka has been in good touch and should be considered a true title contender. The Belarusian has improved her consistency. While she can still go awry, sending errant balls in all directions, her form has improved and those occurrences are few and further between. This should be an easy win for the #2 seed.
Prediction: Sabalenka in 2
Jakub:
Nina Stojanovic essentially skipped the hard court season, not playing since the Tokyo Olympics over a month ago. Aryna Sabalenka, the second seed in New York, has had a mixed hard court season with early exits in Tokyo and Cincinnati and a semifinal in Montreal. The Belarusian is dominant in their head-to-head, winning all six of their previous meetings, making the favorite quite clear.
Prediction: Sabalenka in 2
Yesh:
Stojanovic is a solid player. If Sabalenka has one of her bad days, she could spray enough balls to lose this. But on a normal day, Sabalenka shouldn’t have much trouble here.
Prediction: Sabalenka in 2
Angelique Kerber vs Dayana Yastremska
Tracey:
Since returning from suspension, Yastremska’s performance has been hit or miss. She arrives in New York having lost four out of five matches in the US Open lead up series. While Kerber still struggles with form, she has been demonstrating what made her a top contender not so long ago. It should be an easy day at the office for the German.
Prediction: Kerber in 2
Jakub:
We have a blockbuster first round clash between 2016 US Open champion Angelique Kerber and a young talent recently cleared of doping in Dayana Yastremska. Kerber enters the US Open in strong form having made the semifinals at Cincinnati, making her way through very impressive opponents such as Maria Sakkari, Elina Svitolina or Petra Kvitova before a loss to Ashleigh Barty, the eventual champion. Yastremska’s hard court form since her return to the tour has been poor, earning one win in four tournaments. A potential encouraging sign though is that she has won a set in three of her four defeats.
Prediction: Kerber in 2
Yesh:
Yastremska was a prodigious talent who hasn’t been the same since her suspension. She would love fast hard courts because she can hit the ball past anyone. She isn’t consistent or big enough right now to get through Kerber’s defense to win a big stage match.
Prediction: Kerber in 3
Main Photo from Getty.
