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
Ann Li vs Kristina Kucova
Tracey:
Li should like the way her opening round panned out. Slovakian veteran Kristina Kucova shouldn’t prove too big a challenge for the young American. Li still doesn’t have the wherewithal to make a deep run at a Slam, but she’ll live to fight another day.
Prediction: Li in 2
Jakub:
Ann Li had a pretty good hard court lead-up including a semifinal in Chicago and is defending her third-round run from last year in New York. Kristina Kucova is another lucky loser in the draw after wins over Daniela Seguel and Hanna Chang before a three-set loss to Katie Boulter. The 31-year-old Slovak reached the first WTA 250 final of her career in Gdynia.
Prediction: Li in 3
Yesh:
Li is talented and has a great story, but she hasn’t quite made the deep runs that should make the tour fear her. Still, she should be better than her opponent here, and have a home crowd behind her on top of that.
Prediction: Li in 3
Elina Svitolina vs Rebecca Marino
Tracey:
Svitolina’s confidence has been restored after winning the Chicago Tennis Festival. Early exits in Montreal and Cincinnati may have caused a shadow of doubt to creep in, but Chicago should have served to bolster the bronze medal winner’s confidence. Marino gained momentum in the qualifiers, but not enough to eliminate a player of Svitolina’s caliber.
Prediction: Svitolina in 2
Jakub:
The Bronze Medalist from Tokyo struggled to follow up her run in Montreal and Cincinnati, failing to win a match at either. Then Svitolina won the WTA 250 in Chicago so she should be coming into New York with confidence. Rebecca Marino managed to come through qualifying and is set to make her first main draw US Open appearance since 2011. The Canadian beat Panna Udvardy, Ysaline Bonaventure, and Greet Minne to set this match up.
Prediction: Svitolina in 2
Yesh:
Svitolina is coming off a Bronze Medal at the Olympics and a title in Chicago. The Ukrainian is one of the best in the world. Her troubles on the biggest stages are all mental. She looks to be passing those.
Prediction: Svitolina in 2
Emma Navarro vs Christina McHale
Tracey:
Alongside doubles veteran Sania Mirza, McHale had a nice run to the finals in Cleveland. Will that serve to bolster her performance at the US Open? The American starts her campaign against Navarro, which should give her quite an edge. Her Cleveland confidence and superior skills will see her through the opener, but probably not much further.
Prediction: McHale in 2
Jakub:
20-year-old Emma Navarro enters the US Open with a wild card though she is on a three-match losing streak. Her opponent is a more experienced 29-year-old Christina McHale, though her form is even worse, earning only one win in her last seven matches.
Prediction: McHale in 3
Yesh:
Navarro made waves earlier this with a wild card to Charleston, which she promptly showed why she deserved it. She earned this wild card by winning the NCAA Singles Championship three months ago. Navarro is about to show the world what the best college tennis players can do.
Prediction: Navarro in 3
Elena Rybakina vs Aliaksandra Sasnovich
Tracey:
Rybakina had some disappointing losses. Perhaps a bit of mental toughness would serve the Kazakh well. All of the pieces are there–it’s the mental lapses which see Rybakina lose some close contests. Sasnovich can be a tricky opponent. But, if the 19th seed can remain focused and produce a high first serve percentage, she’ll easily move on to the second round.
Prediction: Rybakina in 2
Jakub:
Elena Rybakina was fighting for a medal in Tokyo, ultimately finishing fourth, but has not really been able to follow that run up in the rest of the hard court season, having mostly middling results since. Aliaksandra Sasnovich has a decent 4-2 record on American hard courts in her last two tournaments, and though she has been a dangerous player in the past, Rybakina should advance easily.
Prediction: Rybakina in 2
Yesh:
Rybakina is far from a perfect or consistent player. But she’s also one of the most talented in the world and should have no trouble blasting her way past Sasnovich on the courts of New York. Sasnovich can put up a fight, but she has nothing in her game that will give her the advantage.
Prediction: Rybakina in 2
Main Photo from Getty.
