The battle for this year’s women’s title at the US Open looks set to be wide open and former finalist Greg Rusedski has made a couple of bold calls a week before the final Grand Slam of 2026.
Aryna Sabalenka has arrived in New York as defending champion and world No 1, but with a cloud of uncertainty hanging over her after a troubled summer in Europe.
When Sabalenka completed the ‘Sunshine Double’ by winning the WTA 1000 events on hard courts at Indian Wells and in Miami, she appeared to be the dominant force in the women’s game.
Since then, she has suffered horrible defeats that have cost her chances to win the French Open and Wimbledon, with he losses in the WTA 1000 events in Toronto and Cincinnati ahead of the US Open doing little to banish the idea that she is vulnerable.
Now former British No 1 Greg Rusedski has suggested he does not expect her to revive her fortunes in time to lift another US Open title next month.
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“I don’t think she can turn it around,” Rusedski told talkSPORT via his podcast. “She went out early in Cincinnati and she has not been as mentally strong as usual.
“We thought at the beginning of the year when she reached the Australian Open final that she would have a couple of majors in the bag by the time she got to the US Open, but it hasn’t happened. She really has come off the rails.
“The women’s draw is wide open. We’ve see Iga Swiatek come back to win in Canada, Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula got the finals in Cincinnati and it’s wide open for the US Open.”
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Rusedski also suggested Filipina superstar Alex Eala will make a big impression in New York, as he backed the 21-year-old to improve on her performance at Wimbledon last month.
“There is one big superstar coming through on the WTA Tour and it’s Eala,” added Rusedski.
“She is really saving the WTA Tour at the moment and she is a breath of fresh air for the sport.
“She’s going to be seeded for the US Open and that should help her to get through the first couple of rounds. After that, I’m backing her to better her performance at Wimbledon.
“Eala had the best result for any player from the Philippines when she reached the last-16 at Wimbledon and I think she can do even better at the US Open and reach the quarter-finals or better.”
