The US Open kicks off on Monday, with a whopping 32 women’s first-round matches scheduled for Day 1. As always, we here at LWOT will share our thoughts on all of the matches. We split the 32 matches between eight articles. In addition to this article, our other articles feature Emma Navarro vs Anna Blinkova, Madison Keys vs Katerina Siniakova, Amanda Anisimova vs Qinwen Zheng, Coco Gauff vs Varvara Gracheva, Elina Svitolina vs Maria Lourdes Carle, Victoria Azarenka vs Yuliia Starodubtseva, and Maria Sakkari vs Yafan Wang. Predicting this set of matches are Jordan Reynolds, Ilemona Onekutu, and Yesh Ginsburg. Who do you think will advance?
US Open Day 1 Women’s Predictions
Sloane Stephens vs Clara Burel
Jordan:
Ilemona:
Sloane Stephens has gone back to her old troubles soon after winning a title in Rouen in April. She has won a grand total of two matches in her last nine tournaments and went out to Amanda Anisimova and Greet Minnen in the first rounds of DC and Toronto. Clara Burel will not be holding back at a tournament where she defeated Elena Rybakina in 2022 and former finalist Karolina Pliskova in 2023.
Prediction: Burel in 3
Yesh:
Laura Siegemund vs Maya Joint
Jordan:
Joint was superb in her qualifying matches. Siegemund, who has not played since the Olympics, is a good draw for her. The German is a crafty opponent, but I think Joint’s momentum will take her through this one.
Prediction Joint in 2
Ilemona:
Laura Siegemund has flown under this season, though she would very much appreciate the quarterfinals in Adelaide, Bogota, and Rabat. Maya Joint has been rapidly climbing up the rankings, going from outside the top 1000 less than a year ago to sitting in the Top 150. Laura Siegemund stands 10-4 against outside Top 100 foes in the season but has every reason to take the youngster seriously.
Prediction Joint in 3
Yesh:
Joint looked amazing in qualifying. I don’t think her talent level is quite up to what the German is at, but it might be closer than expected. Still, I think Siegemund should win.
Prediction: Siegemund in 3
Harriet Dart vs Chloe Paquet
Jordan:
Expect plenty of long baseline rallies between these two. This is a tough matchup to call, but Dart gets a slight edge. I trust her to stay more consistent over three sets.
Prediction: Dart in 3
Ilemona:
Dart has won just about eight main draw matches on tour in the last eight months. She comes into the US Open on the back of first round exits in Toronto and Cincinnati. Chloe Paquet hasn’t looked any better than her first round opponent. She comes into New York following qualifying or first-round losses in Toronto, Cincinnati, and Monterrey.
Harriet Dart has a solid lead in the head-to-head at 3-0.
Prediction: Dart in 2
Yesh:
I always have trouble deciding what to do with Harriet Dart. The Brit does her best on grass, but she can perform unexpectedly well on other surfaces sometimes. The problem with unexpected performances, though, is that you can’t expect them.
Prediction: Paquet in 3
Aryna Sabalenka vs Priscilla Hon
Jordan:
Sabalenka is the favorite to win the US Open after her triumph in Cincinnati, two Australian Open titles, and how close she came to winning in New York last year. The Belarusian will win this match even if she is not at her best. Hon does not have the game to compete with her.
Prediction: Sabalenka in 2
Ilemona:
Aryna Sabalenka has been one of the major contenders at this event in the last three editions with two semifinals and a final showing last year. Hon will make her second main draw appearance at the US Open after surviving 17-year-old Akasha Urhobo and Kamilla Rakhimova in three-setters in the qualifiers. Her journey ends here though as Sabalenka would be too much for her.
Prediction: Sabalenka in 2
Yesh:
Aryna Sabalenka is one of the best in the world, especially on fast hard courts. Maybe someone in this draw can stop her, but it won’t be Priscilla Hon.
Prediction: Sabalenka in 2
Main Photo Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports
