NEW YORK, Aug 28 (Reuters) - Major question marks hang over the top two seeds in the women's field when the U.S. Open main draw begins on Sunday, leaving the door open for past winners Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek to bring home another trophy from Flushing Meadows.
Top seed Aryna Sabalenka's dismal back half of the season has clouded her pursuit of a rare third successive U.S. Open title, while number two Elena Rybakina's exit from Cincinnati with a leg injury has cast her campaign into doubt.
It has been a different story entirely for 2023 champion Gauff, who got her once-maligned serve working for her en route to the semis in Toronto and to her first title of the year with a confidence-inspiring performance in Cincinnati.
She will benefit, too, from the rowdy New York crowd, as a perennial American fan favourite.
"Coco Gauff played exceptional tennis in Cincinnati. She played well in Canada, as well. To me she's the one that's playing the best tennis," said ESPN commentator and former world number four Mary Joe Fernandez.
Fourth-ranked Gauff and third-ranked Jessica Pegula will be playing for national pride with U.S. women failing to make the final at the first three majors this year.
A 'BUMPY' JOURNEY FOR SWIATEK
Poland's six-times major winner Swiatek arrives in New York with fresh fight in her, shaking off bitter criticism back home to win her first title of the season in Toronto earlier this month.
Swiatek has not made it past the quarter-finals at any of the year's majors and had to fight her way back to top form in time for the North American hard court swing.
"The journey has been bumpy this season," the eighth-ranked Swiatek told reporters after she swatted aside Rybakina to lift the trophy in Canada.
"Sometimes I was impatient throughout the season. I was, like, seeking (a win) while maybe my game was not ready."
But while Swiatek's form is peaking at the best time, Sabalenka's has dipped at the worst, as she has failed to reach a final since completing the Sunshine Double this year.
"She struggled a bit winning the big points. She's lost a couple big leads in some events," said Fernandez. "She's vulnerable."
If she wins, she would become only the third woman in the Open Era to "three-peat" at Flushing Meadows - and the first since Serena Williams claimed a trio of titles between 2012 and 2014 - as she closes in on 100 straight weeks atop the rankings.
CONTENDERS LURK THROUGHOUT THE FIELD
Other contenders include Russian teen Mirra Andreeva, who claimed her maiden major title at Roland Garros this year, and Czech Linda Noskova, who carved out her own slice of the spotlight with a breakthrough Wimbledon title last month.
And the Philippines' Alexandra Eala made believers out of many when she beat four-time major winner Naomi Osaka and Pegula to win the WTA 500 title in D.C. this month.
Japan's Osaka, the U.S. Open winner in 2018 and 2020, can expect the usual adoration from the New York crowd, particularly after she recaptured some of her old brilliance to reach the semis last year following a 2023 layoff on maternity leave.
She has not hoisted a title since collecting her fourth major at the 2021 Australian Open but some consistent recent form - including a spot in June's Bad Homburg final - has fans hoping for more.
"I'm not going to say it's wide open on the women's side," said ESPN commentator Patrick McEnroe. "But there's probably six to eight players that could win it."
The U.S. Open women's singles main draw begins on Sunday.
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New YorkEditing by Toby Davis)
