Defending US Open crown with plenty riding on it for Sabalenka

Sabalenka has been the best through the year, yet without the Slam cherry that defines a great year

- Rutvick Mehta

The year's first hard court Grand Siam sprang up a rather surprising winner (Madison Keys) among women, followed by two champions on clay (Coco Gautff) and grass (Iga Swiatek) that weren't exactly ‘obvious favourites to go all the way on that surface. The US Open, though, has brought a semblance of familiarity of late in the often wild world of women’s tennis.

The past three female champions in New York are the top three in the world rankings: No.l Aryna Sabalenka (2024), No.2 Swiatek (2022) and No.3 Gauff (2023). It’s in this backdrop that Sabalenka arrives at Flushing Meadows with more than just a title defence riding on her.

As the holder of the throne, much of the spotlight will be on her to not only extend this familiarity at the US Open but also play her part in ensuring the trio takes the season’s last three Slams. More significantly for her, as the world No.1 all year without a major to show, She will be eager to pin her grip at the top with a season-ending Slam-winning sign-off.

The Belarusian stood one set away from starting the season with a title defence and a Slam, only for Keys to flip the script on the two-time Australian Open champion in the third-set shootoff. Sabalenka again stood one set away from a Slam at the French Open, only for Gauff to emerge from a set down this time in another three-setter.