US Open 2023 could see another chapter in the rivalry between Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff as they could possible face each other in New York a week after their sensation battle in Cincinnati Open. The world No.1 and the sixth seed have been draw in the same quarter which was announced on Thursday at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Fourth seed Elena Rybakina joins the duo in the same half of the draw while second seed Aryna Sabalenka and third seed Jessica Pegula are in the bottom half.
Swiatek held a staggering 7-0 record against Gauff until last week when the American scripted a massive upset in the semifinals of Cincinnati Open. It was Gauff’s first ever win against the Pole which came after a tense three-setter and the youngster later went on to win her maiden WTA 1000 title a day later in the final.
Swiatek will open her title defense against Sweden’s Rebecca Peterson, while Gauff will be up against a qualifier, before setting up clash against talented teenager Mirra Andreeva, who she had faced in French Open earlier this year as well.
This section of the draw also has three Grand Slam winners – No. 11 seed Petra Kvitova, former world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki and No. 17 seed Jelena Ostapenka – and a pair of former Australian Open finalists in Jennifer Brady and Danielle Collins.
2022 Wimbledon winner, Rybakina, seeded fourth in New York, finds herself in the same half of the draw and has been handed another tricky start as she begins her campaign against Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk. The Kazakh could then possibly face one between No. 15 seed Belinda Bencic, who made the US Open semifinals in 2019 and No. 18 seed Victoria Azarenka, the three-time US Open finalist, in the fourth round. Also part of the quarter is Karolina Muchova, the 10th seed, who reached the Cincinnati final last week, and 2021 US Open semifinalist Maria Sakkari, the No. 8 seed.
No. 3 seed Pegula, who lost to Swiatek in the quarterfinals last year, will open her campaign against a dangerous Camila Giorgi. The American could likely face No. 26 seed Elina Svitolina in the third round and on between No. 17 seed Madison Keys, the 2017 US Open finalist, and No. 14 seed Liudmila Samsonova, who took down three Top 10 players in Canadian Open earlier this month to make the final, in the fourth round. This section of the draw also has reigning Wimbledon winner Marketa Vondrousova.
No. 2 seed Sabalenka leads the field in the final quarter of the draw and will be hoping to dethrone Swiatek at the US Open and walk out of New York as the new WTA world No.1. Also joining her in this quarter is Ons Jabeur, seeded No. 5, and the two could reignite their rivalry in the quarters in a rematch of their Wimbledon semifinal face off last month.
The draw also comprises No. 12 seed Barbora Krejcikova, the 2021 Roland Garros champion, No. 13 seed Daria Kasatkina, 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin and two-time US Open singles champion Venus Williams. The 43-year-old will be opening her campaign in a popcorn round-one match against former world No. 2 Paula Badosa, who has been struggling from injuries in 2023.
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