Here we go. Buckle up.
It is going to be a wild ride in the Big Apple the next two weeks.
A supremely unpredictable U.S. Open awaits us. This is the reality of women’s tennis in 2019.
You can make a good argument for 20 different players winning this tournament, if not more.
COME ON, MATT! HYPERBOLE ALERT!
No, YOU come on!
Have you been following women’s tennis this year? Heck, you could have Rip Van Winkled the season through July, woken up at the start of August, and wondered what the truck was happening.
Bianca Andreescu winning the Rogers Cup after four months off?
Madison Keys having a terrible year but then springing to life in Cincinnati along with runner-up Svetlana Kuznetsova?
Not ONE SOUL predicted a Keys-Kuznetsova final in Cincy, but it happened… so I don’t want any tut-tutting about hyperbole.
Nearly everything IS possible in 2019 women’s tennis.
That’s not the same as something being LIKELY. I have no frickin’ clue what is likely to happen.
But yes, I can definitely make an argument for 20 different possible champions.
Women's singles draw #USOpen pic.twitter.com/nMawtYcnEv
— Michal Samulski (@MichalSamulski) August 22, 2019
Serena Williams. Duh.
Naomi Osaka, if healthy. Duh. Defending champion and all that.
Wimbledon champion Simona Halep.
Roland Garros champion Ash Barty.
World No. 3 and 2016 U.S. Open finalist Karolina Pliskova.
That’s five players who really don’t require any explanation about their statuses as legitimate title contenders in New York.
The list continues:
Elina Svitolina made the semifinals of Wimbledon on grass, her worst surface. She has been a mainstay in the top 10.
Kiki Bertens is a former major semifinalist who won Cincinnati last year.
Sloane Stephens won the U.S. Open two years ago.
Madison Keys made the semis last year and the final two years ago.
Jo Konta has made the semis at three of the four major tournaments.
That’s 10 players.
Let’s continue:
Petra Kvitova made this year’s Australian Open final. No, she is not in peak condition, but other players aren’t healthy, either.
Sofia Kenin made the semis in Canada and Cincinnati. Sure she’s a contender — maybe not the top tier, but she is in the mix for sure.
Belinda Bencic posted strong hardcourt results earlier this year in February and March. She is a top-15 player.
Marketa Vondrousova made the Roland Garros final this year.
Amanda Anisimova would have been a contender, but she withdrew.
That’s 15 players, now reduced to 14.
Svetlana Kuznetsova made the Cincinnati final and beat Pliskova and Barty, two top-five players, along the way.
Dayana Yastremska could win the Open if only because she could do what Jelena Ostapenko did at Roland Garros two years ago: play fearlessly, crush the ball, and get on a roll.
Angelique Kerber is a three-time major champion.
Maria Sakkari made the quarterfinals in Cincinnati and has made deep runs at other Premier 5 tournaments this year. She — or Alison Riske, or Garbine Muguruza — could go on a run.
That’s 18 players — 20 if you add Riske and Muguruza.
Remember, everyone: Had Anisimova not blown a set-and-three-to-love lead over Barty at Roland Garros, we would have had a 19-year-old (Vondrousova) against a 17-year-old (Anisimova) for a major title in Paris a few months ago.
Don’t tell me this will be a predictable tournament. Don’t tell me the list of title contenders is small.
Don’t tell me Bianca Andreescu isn’t a legitimate title contender in New York.
Is it true that Andreescu has never gone beyond the second round of a major tournament? Yes.
Is it true that Andreescu will face massive scrutiny in New York? Yes.
Is it true that Andreescu’s win in Toronto offers no guarantees about her fate in the Big Apple? Yes.
And? So?
#USOpen Canadian matchups in R1:
Men
🇨🇦Vasek Pospisil vs. (9)Karen Khachanov
🇨🇦(21)Milos Raonic vs. Nicolas Jarry
🇨🇦(18)Felix Auger-Aliassime vs. 🇨🇦Denis ShapovalovWomen
🇨🇦(15)Bianca Andreescu vs. Katie Volynets
🇨🇦Genie Bouchard vs. (12)Anastasija Sevastova— Ben Lewis (@BenLewisMPC) August 22, 2019
The 2019 women’s tennis season at the majors has been crazy. Not one woman has made more than one major semifinal. The player who was supposed to win Roland Garros — Simona Halep — won Wimbledon instead. The woman who was supposed to win Wimbledon — Ash Barty — won Roland Garros instead.
When I or anyone else says that a player is a contender for a championship, that is not a prediction that the player will make a deep run. It is only a declaration that the player is capable of going all the way.
Only one will win. Only eight will make the quarterfinals… but many more players can achieve richly in the big city.
Bianca Andreescu — with a soft draw in her first three matches before a possible showdown with Simona Halep in round four — is definitely a contender, despite a pronounced lack of major-tournament experience and success.
Get ready. This is going to be a wild ride. Everything is possible… which includes a Bianca Andreescu U.S. Open title.
NO, don’t expect it to happen… but don’t claim you couldn’t see it coming, either.
Matt Zemek
Matt Zemek has written about tennis professionally since 2014 for multiple outlets. He is currently the editor of tennisaccent.com and the co-manager of Tennis With An Accent with Saqib Ali. Tennis With An Accent blends Saqib Ali's podcasts with written coverage of professional tennis. The TWAA Podcast hosted Darren Cahill earlier this year. The podcast is distributed by Red Circle and is available on Stitcher, Google Podcasts, and Apple Podcasts. See Matt's pinned tweet on his Twitter page for links to the TWAA Podcast. Matt is based in Phoenix and thinks the Raptors winning the NBA title was awesome. Saqib will be covering Montreal for Tennis With An Accent.
