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

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.