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

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.