US Open 2013: Experts' picks for the women's draw

The tennis experts of Sportskeeda look ahead at the 2013 US Open by making picks for the women’s draw in four categories: dark horse, early exit, dangerous floater, and champion.

1. Dark horse

Caroline Wozniacki

Haresh Ramchandani: I’d have liked to pick Sloane Stephens as my dark horse, but she’s drawn Serena in round four. Even if she does beat Serena, I don’t see her going on to sustain that form for three more matches. Therefore, I am going with the unpredictable Li Na.

SivaramL: Caroline Wozniacki has had the best memories of her career at the Open and this year, she has been trying to get herself back into the top 5 even if the results so far have been mixed. A decent showing at Cincy where she took Victoria Azarenka to a tie-breaker and the continuation of that run in New Haven this week make her my dark horse pick.

Virendra: Li Na is a wonderful character; she also is one of the best shot-makers in the women’s game. The Chinese player reached the semifinals in both the warm-up events that she played and comes into the tournament on the back of some solid hardcourt form. The faster courts should also facilitate her attacking brand of tennis and though she has a tough draw, with a few upsets and a little bit of luck, she could make a run for the title.

Roh: Petra Kvitova hasn’t had much chance to continue in the footsteps of her maiden Major win at Wimbledon three years ago. Seeded seventh at the US Open this year, the left-hander makes for a worthy nomination as a dark horse, as she is always capable of stunning a few favourites along the way.

Ram Narayanan: Svetlana Kuznetsova, a former US Open champion, did relatively well at this year’s French Open before getting ousted by eventual champion Serena Williams, which is no disgrace. She may be seeded 27th right now but she is better than most of the players who are ranked above her. To me, she is the dark horse of the tournament with the ability to create a few upsets.

BallnRacquet: Asia’s first Grand Slam winner Li Na seems to be the best choice to have a shot at the title outside the top 4. She had good showings at Montreal and Cincinnati and will be looking to build upon the momentum. A win here would be a fantastic achievement for the ageing champ.

Sumer: Caroline Wozniacki could not have asked for a better draw. The only seeded players who she should be worried about are 14th seed Maria Kirilenko and 4th seed Sara Errani, who’ve both had an underwhelming US hardcourt campaign. I wouldn’t at all be shocked not to see Caroline reach the semifinal from her section of the draw. If she does get there, her probable opponent would be Azarenka, and with the head-to-head record in her favour, there would be a strong possibility of seeing the Dane in the final.

Musab Abid: Samantha Stosur has seen better days, but the US Open has been a happy hunting ground for her the last couple of years. She won the title in 2011 and in 2012 played possibly the best match of the tournament in the quarterfinals, going down to Victoria Azarenka in a nail-biting 3rd set tiebreaker. If she gets on a roll again, she can certainly make things very interesting.

2. Early exit

Sara Errani

Haresh Ramchandani: Sara Errani may be seeded fourth but the Italian is only 4-3 on hardcourts since Wimbledon. Plus, she’s bound to feel the pressure of defending her semifinal points from last year. All-in-all, it seems unlikely that it will be a good fortnight for the Italian in New York this year.

SivaramL: Even though Sara Errani‘s quarter doesn’t seem dangerous, her poor summer may have taken some confidence off her, making Flavia Pennetta and Svetlana Kuznetsova tougher barriers to breach than they really are.

Virendra: Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki has made a habit of flattering to deceive when it comes to the Grand Slams. She is placed in the easiest quarter of them all, aided a bit by Maria Sharapova’s withdrawal, but there are some tricky opponents in her way like Elena Vesnina and Lucie Safarova. I wouldn’t bet on her reaching the quarters.

Roh: It was almost six years ago, in 2008, that Jelena Jankovic lost in the final to Serena Williams at the US Open. Since then, the Serb’s career has gone through myriad ups and downs. Though her talent cannot be denied, her inconsistencies make her a strong candidate for an early exit.

Ram Narayanan: Sara Errani was the semifinalist here last year but she may have to lock horns with former US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova in the third round this year. The Italian, who is seeded fourth, seems to be having a very ordinary year compared to 2012; I predict a third round exit for her.

BallnRacquet: Maria Kirilenko has not been faring well on the American hardcourts of late. Adding to her woes will be former No. 12 Yanina Wickmayer, whom she is drawn to meet in the first round. Unless she somehow manages to reinvent her good form from the past that saw her peak at No. 10, the going will be tough for the Russian.

Sumer: While Jelena Jankovic may have had a decent US Open series, her draw is absolutely brutal. She starts off by facing American Madision Keys, who will be spurred on by her home crowd; if she passes that test, she would have to face the winner of the match between the returning Alisa Kleybanova and rising star Monica Puig, both tough matchups. Her likely opponent after that would be Romanian Sorana Cirstea who is coming off a Toronto final and is in fine form. These are tough initial rounds, and I just don’t see her getting through and reaching the fourth round, where she could face Li Na. Look out for the Serb’s matches throughout the week though, as all of them could prove to be thrillers.

Musab Abid: I found it tough to choose between Wimbledon finalist Sabine Lisicki and Wimbledon semifinalist Kirsten Flipkens: I eventually went with the latter mainly because she’s seeded higher (12th) than Lisicki’s 16th. Flipkens faces two-time champion Venus Williams in the first round – that’s as scary an unseeded first round opponent as you can possibly get.

3. Dangerous floater

Andrea Petkovic

Haresh Ramchandani: 19-year-old Eugenie Bouchard should be one to watch this fortnight. The rising Canadian is already ranked in the top 60 and even extended Serena Williams to three sets in Cincinnati. Plus, her game and looks are easy on the eyes!

SivaramL: In 12 appearances at her home Slam Bethanie Mattek-Sands has never been able to go past the second round. But having upset Li Na at the French this year, she would hope to do something similar and go deep here. The draw doesn’t look unkind until her R16 match-up against Agnieszka Radwanska, and considering Aga’s emotional week, it is not beyond Mattek-Sands to pull off the upset.

Virendra: Andrea Petkovic. The talented German’s career has been bogged down by injuries, but when fit and playing well, Petkovic is a threat to even the best players on tour. She has had a good last couple of months – she made the finals in Washington and lost to top-tenner Roberta Vinci in Cincinnati. She plays talented youngster Bojana Jovanovski in the first round and if she wins that, she will have a chance to upset Petra Kvitova.

Roh: Bojana Jovanovski has long come out of the shadows of her countrywomen Jelena Jankovic and Ana Ivanovic. A strong competitor, Jovanovski can be expected to go far in the tournament, springing a few surprises on her way.

Ram Narayanan: The WTA teen brigade seems to be on the ascendancy, and 17-year-old Croatian Donna Vekic is one of them. With no Victoria Azarenka or Serena Williams, she has settled in perhaps one of the easiest quarters. The 65th-ranked player’s best performance came at the Aegon Classic this year where she defeated Urszula Radwanska and 20th-ranked Sorana Cirstea. For me, Vekic is an incredibly dangerous floater at this year’s glamour Slam.

BallnRacquet: From No. 9 to No. 177 and now back to 43, Andrea Petkovic is on her back to where she belongs. She will look to spoil the show for many players in her endeavour to progress deep into the draw. A former quarterfinalist here, she might have an upset or two up her sleeve.

Sumer: Svetlana Kuznetsova may have had a lacklustre year, but being a former champion and a performer on the big stages, she is someone to watch out for. The Russian is in the most wide open section of the draw led by new 4th seed Sara Errani. If we see some flashes of her genius, I will not be surprised to see her in the second week.

Musab Abid: Is Madison Keys ready to take that vaunted ‘next step’? The question has been on everyone’s lips for about a year now, and this may be as good a tournament as any (she’ll have the home crowd support here too) to announce her arrival. Her first round opponent is the slumping Jelena Jankovic, and if she gets past that obstacle she could give more than a few headaches to the higher-ranked women around her.

4. Champion

Serena Williams

Haresh Ramchandani: With Maria Sharapova out, there are two main contenders for the women’s title – World No. 1 Serena Williams and World No. 2 Victoria Azarenka. For all her domination on the tour this year, the 31-year-old Serena has won only one Slam title in 2013 and will be eager to win another. Maybe just a little too eager. Azarenka comes into the Open with a win over Serena just this past weekend and I think that momentum will see her through if the two meet again in the finals. I’m tipping Azarenka to win her first US Open title.

SivaramL: With the unfortunate withdrawal of Maria Sharapova, the women’s draw has lost some spice (or should I say ‘sugar’?). But the overwhelming favourites are still the women who clashed in the final at Cincinnati. Only an idiot would count Serena Williams out but given the fact that Victoria Azarenka almost got her in the final here last year and defeated her in Cincy last week, I’ll try being an idiot. My prediction: Vika to win the final in three sets.

Virendra: Should I just say Serena Williams and get it over with? Fact – Serena has 8 singles titles to her name this year. Fact – she has a remarkable 60-4 win-loss record this season. Fact – the US Open was the first Slam that she won and has won it a total of four times, including last year. So why am I picking Victoria Azarenka to win it? For one, she ran Serena real close in last year’s final and if not for some nerves, should have pocketed the title. She also happens to be one of the few players on tour who can take advantage of Serena’s lapses in concentration, as demonstrated recently at Cincinnati.

Roh: The way she’s been playing this year, there’s only name that fits this slot – Serena Williams.

Ram Narayanan: Never mind what the draw looks like – it must be remembered that the World No. 1 Serena Williams is a bit of a wounded tiger right now, having lost to Victoria Azarenka in the Cincinnati final. She is going to bounce back strong and Vika may find out soon that beating the American twice in a row is no joke. Serena, with the crowd support behind her, looks unlikely to lose this tournament unless someone comes up with an unbelievable game, which I do not see happening.

BallnRacquet: Serena Williams has played some of her best tennis in the recent few months. Her sublime form has set her a class apart from her peers and she enters the tournament as a crushing favourite to defend her title. In the absence of any Wimbledon-like episodes, her only threat will be Cincinnati winner Victoria Azarenka.

Sumer: The one thing that Serena Williams does best is come back better and stronger, and after her lacklustre Cincinnati final defeat to Azarenka, we may see her do just that. Serena should be extra motivated to get her hands on the trophy for a fifth time. While we may not see the traditional ease she shows in dispatching her opponents, her fighting spirit will likely be on full show; with a comparatively easy draw, Serena, in my opinion, will be crowned the 2013 US Open champion.

Musab Abid: Victoria Azarenka may have defeated Serena Williams in their last two hardcourt matches, but it’s tough to see her repeating that feat on the biggest tennis stage in the world. She couldn’t do it last year (despite serving for the match), and this time, she will have the added disadvantage of facing a revenge-on-her-mind Serena. Facing that version of Serena has never ended well for anybody.