The women’s draw will be dominated by two women. Those two women are Osaka and Barty.

They are currently the best hard-court players on the women’s side by a country mile. Unfortunately for both these players, a final may not be in the cards. This is because Osaka will likely be seeded number three. This means that there’s a chance that when the draw comes out, she would potentially meet Barty in the semifinal. If indeed they meet in the semifinal, it would basically be the final. No two other players on the tour have shown dominance over their peers as Osaka and Barty.

Out of both these players, Barty holds the edge. She’s played more tennis and won the Cincinnati title in style, not dropping a set in five matches. Barty showed class, athleticism, and craftiness. Her slice has quickly become the WTA’s most feared weapon. Most players don’t know how to deal with it. They try to hit over it, under it, around it – all to no avail. An Osaka test would be a blockbuster. However, there are a few women that may have something to say about that.

Here are a few players that have an outside chance of claiming this title.

Aryna Sabalenka: Sabalenka keeps looking for the Grand Slam breakthrough that has been alluding to her. She has performed exceptionally in big tournaments outside of the Grand Slams. However, for whatever reason, when she gets to the later stages of Grand Slams, she tends to get a little bit too cautious.

Karolina Pliskova: Pliskova is the best current player that has not won a major. She’s also been on solid runs this summer, posting great results in the last three months. She reached the Wimbledon and Canadian Open finals. Pliskova has the game to make a run, especially if her serve is on point.

Bianca Andreescu: Andreescu has so much talent, it’s unfortunate that she has been so injury-prone. She’s also posted lackluster results in the tournaments leading up to the US Open. Can she turn it on? She’s shown she can come back from injury to play some great tennis. Don’t count her out.

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