Aryna Sabalenka has endured a difficult season so far, filled with stunning highs and increasingly worrying lows.
Sabalenka started the season in stunning fashion by claiming the Brisbane International title and reaching the final of the Australian Open.
She followed that by winning Indian Wells and the Miami Open, becoming just the fifth woman in tennis history to claim the ‘Sunshine Double’.
Since, her season as soured somewhat, and has become littered with several worrying defeats at high-profile tournaments.
Sabalenka has not reached a final since the Miami Open and she has been beaten before the quarter final stage at the Italian Open, Wimbledon, and most recently at the Canadian Open.
She heads into US Open season in the difficult position of not being the outright favourite for the Flushing Meadows event, despite winning the tournament in the past two seasons.
However, Andy Roddick believes there is one thing Sabalenka can do in order to still enter the US Open as the favourite.
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Speaking on Served, “The women’s side going into the US Open it’s hard to actually point to someone and say they’re the favourite. Yeah. And it’s if you do somehow get to a favorite it’s almost by subtraction. Do you know what I’m saying?
“Like Rybakina has looked pretty average. Jess [Pegula] is proven, but she took an early loss. You know, Iga [Swiatek] has looked better. A win against Kostyuk that I thought was a big one. Coco’s [Gauff] reliable at this point. Is she the favorite going into the US Open?
“It is wide open. Yeah. On the women’s side, unless someone catches a heater in Cincinnati, then, you know, obviously if Sabalenka goes and wins there, I think she instantly re-establishes herself as the favorite.
“She doesn’t need as much work to get back to favorite status as someone else, right? if she goes and wins something, you’re like, “Okay, great. We’re back.”
Sabalenka is a previous champion at the Cincinnati Open, so she does have history with the Masters tournament.
The star won the tournament in 2024 and went on to lift the title at the US Open, so perhaps Roddick does have a point.
However, Sabalenka will need to up her game at the Cincinnati Open, as several players are starting to hit form on the WTA Tour.
Swiatek is beginning to find some rhythm under new coach Francisco Roig, while Eala has arguably been the best women’s player since Wimbledon.
Elsewhere, the likes of Elina Svitolina, Belinda Bencic, and Gauff have all performed well at the Canadian Open.
