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, Andy Watson, and Jim Smith.
US Open Day 1 Women’s Predictions
Ons Jabeur vs Alize Cornet
Tracey:
Ons Jabeur has the game to frustrate Alize Cornet. Expect the bombardment of groundstrokes and interspersed dropshots to force the Frenchwoman to go for too much. It should be a nice, first round win for the Tunisian.
Prediction: Jabeur in 2
Andy:
Cornet reached the final in Chicago last week, and that will have been a real confidence booster for her. Jabeur is continuing to have an excellent year but question marks still surround her in the very top matches. I expect the Tunisian to be too good on return for the Frenchwoman.
Prediction: Jabeur in 2
Jim:
Ons Jabeur may be, at best, an outside shot to win the title in New York, but the Tunisian looks capable of reaching at least the second week. This is not the easiest first-round draw for her to negotiate, but Alize Cornet may well be short of her best having had almost no time to recover from her exertions last week in Chicago.
Prediction: Jabeur in 2
Rebeka Masarova vs Ana Bogdan
Tracey:
Masarova has gained a bit of confidence in qualifying rounds. Hard fought wins over Jana Fett and Jaqueline Cristian should see Masarova at the top of her form. Yet Ana Bogdan may be a level too high for the Spaniard.
Prediction: Bogdan in 2
Andy:
The Swiss is in tremendous form, having won her last 13 hard court matches in a row. Regardless of level (ITF & qualifying) that is a real confidence boost. Bogdan is now outside the top 100 and pulled out of her last match. However, I still fancy the Romanian to just about squeak through.
Prediction: Bogdan in 3
Jim:
Ana Bogdan has had a solid if unspectacular year and the Romanian has been handed what looks like a kind first-round draw up against the qualifier Rebeka Masarova, who will be making her debut in the main draw at a Major. This may be closer than the disparity in their rankings suggests, but if Bogdan keeps her composure she should be the player to reach the second round.
Prediction: Bogdan in 3
Heather Watson vs Kaja Juvan
Tracey:
Watson and Juvan both bring a lot of variety to their games. Shotmaking will be the name of the game in this clash. Neither has a tremendous amount of power but can use their all court games to find some clever shots. I’m not sure Watson is 100% yet, having withdrawn in Chicago with an injury. I think this is Juvan’s match.
Prediction: Juvan in 2
Andy:
Juvan is a rising star in the game and I can see her being able to progress in this tie. Watson has rarely had the tools to make a run at a Slam and her time is beginning to run out to change that.
Prediction: Juvan in 2
Jim:
This looks like a winnable match for both players. But Heather Watson has been playing the better tennis of the two in recent weeks, even if her withdrawal in the first round last week in Chicago is slightly concerning. But provided she is fully fit, expect her to have the beating of the inexperienced Kaja Juvan here.
Prediction: Watson in 3
Donna Vekic vs Garbine Muguruza
Tracey:
Vekic will be hoping to replicate her deep 2019 run in Flushing Meadows. Yet, her loss in qualifying rounds in Cincinnati doesn’t bode well. Muguruza hasn’t been garnering great results. In fact, the Tokyo Olympics third round loss was her best performance since the start of the season. While I expect Muguruza to come through in straight sets, Vekic will make it painful for a few games.
Prediction: Muguruza in 2
Andy:
The Spaniard seems to collect tricky opening round draws in the Grand Slams. And after losing to Marta Kostyuk in the opening round of Roland Garros she will be keen not to repeat the trick here. Vekic failed to qualify for Cincinnati last time out so I would be surprised if she had the current level required to beat the two-time Grand Slam champion.
Prediction: Muguruza in 2
Jim:
Garbine Muguruza has rather flattered to deceive so far this season and this will be an interesting early test for the Spaniard. Donna Vekic has had a difficult season, but she has a very fine record at the US Open and has found a measure of form in recent weeks. That said, she has not shown quite enough to suggest she can beat Muguruza if the Spaniard plays anything like her best tennis.
Prediction: Muguruza in 3
Main Photo from Getty.
