Serena’s last dance, popcorn first-rounders, Swiatek’s path – what you need to know about the US Open women’s singles draw

The US Open’s women’s singles draw has been released and, like clockwork, all eyes jumped to the bottom of the lower half of the draw, a section that includes the legend Serena Williams.

Williams’ potential last Grand Slam appearance is the top storyline of this US Open on the women’s side, and now we know the name of her first-round opponent: Danka Kovinic of Montenegro, the world No 80.

US Open Draws: Women’s Singles | Men’s Singles

Additionally, we know the projected quarter-finals, if the seeds hold, and can see the potential path to the semi-finals and finals for top-seeded Iga Swiatek, fifth-seeded Ons Jabeur and seventh-seeded Simona Halep.

Scroll down for some of the key facts about the US Open women’s singles draw…

Serena has an opportunity to win some matches

Williams is tucked into a difficult quarter of the lower half that also includes No 2-seeded Anett Kontaveit, 2022 Wimbledon runner-up Ons Jabeur, 2021 US Open runner-up Leylah Fernandez, 2021 Roland-Garros champion Barbora Krejcikova, Karolina Muchova and more. It will not be an easy path for the 23-time major champion, but it could have been worse for the unseeded American.

Williams has never faced the 80th-ranked Kovinic. The 27-year-old owns a 2-4 lifetime record at the US Open, and has never been beyond the second round in New York.

Serena’s projected path

Anyone who has watched 40-year-old Williams play this summer knows that a deep run is a longshot at the moment. She’s 1-3 on the season and hasn’t won a set against a top-20 player. But it is Serena Williams we are talking about – hope springs eternal that she’ll produce one last glorious burst of greatness.

If she does find her best tennis in New York, here is what Williams’ projected path to a 24th major singles title (if seeds hold) will look like:

• R1 – Danka Kovinic
• R2 – No 2-seeded Anett Kontaveit or Jaqueline Cristian
• R3 – No 27-seeded Martina Trevisan
• R16 – No 14-seeded Leylah Fernandez
• QF – No 5-seeded Ons Jabeur
• SF – No 3-seeded Maria Sakkari or No 7-seeded Simona Halep
• F – Iga Swiatek

Iga Swiatek’s projected path to the title

Iga Swiatek has progressed one round further on each appearance she has made at the US Open. The world-beating Pole reached the second round in 2019, the third round in 2022 and last year fell in the round of 16 against Belinda Bencic.

Does the top seed have it in her to make her biggest jump yet in New York? She opens with tricky Italian Jasmine Paolini of Italy. Here’s her potential path to the title (if seeds hold)

• R1 – Jasmine Paolini
• R2 – Greet Minnen or Sloane Stephens
• R3 – No 28-seeded Ekaterina Alexandrova
• R16 – No 16-seeded Jelena Ostapenko or No 24-seeded Amanda Anisimova
• QF – No 8-seeded Jessica Pegula
• SF – No 4-seeded Paula Badosa or No 6-seeded Aryna Sabalenka
• F – No 2-seeded Anett Kontaveit (or No 5-seeded Ons Jabeur, No 7-seeded Simona Halep, No 3-seeded Maria Sakkari)

First-rounders we are dying to watch

With so many big names unseeded at this year’s US Open, there are a plethora of must-watch opening-round matches.

Here are five that we’ve already circled:

1. Serena Williams vs Danka Kovinic – will it be Williams last ever match?
2. [11] Emma Raducanu vs Alize Cornet – the defending champion draws the Frenchwoman who is having her best year at the Slams.
3. Naomi Osaka vs [19] Danielle Collins – two-time champion Osaka is still trying to find her game on hard courts this summer. The feisty Collins will be a tough test.
4. Venus Williams vs Alison Van Uytvanck – Everybody is talking about Serena, but this could be Venus’ last US Open as well.
5. [16] Jelena Ostapenko vs Zheng Qinwen – the rising Chinese talent won’t be unseeded long at the Slams. Ostapenko, meanwhile, has been stuck at the third round at the US Open in her last three appearances.

Potential week one popcorn

The first weekend at the US Open always creates stunning matchups. Here are three that we are hoping to see in the second and third round…

1. [17] Caroline Garcia vs [15] Beatriz Haddad Maia, round 3– two of the biggest performers of 2022! It’s only fitting that they should clash.
2. Serena Williams vs [2] Anett Kontaveit, round 2 – this matchup would mean that Serena won a match… good for the tournament, but not good for Kontaveit?
3. [20] Madison Keys v [12] Coco Gauff, round 3 – we always like to see those all-American matchups under the lights in Arthur Ashe Stadium.

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