The 128 person US Open women’s singles draw contains six former champions. They are: Coco Gauff, Naomi Osaka, Emma Raducanu, Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, and Venus Williams.
Will one of these six women win again? Let’s assess their chances.
1. Coco Gauff
Coco Gauff is the 2025 French Open champion. That was a huge win for it, but she has matched that level of tennis since leaving Paris.
Gauff’s serve has been an issue prompting her to make a surprising and abrupt coaching change this week from Matt Daly to Gavin McMillan, a biomedical trainer who successfully helped Aryna Sabalenka with her serve when it faltered a couple of years ago.
Coco Gauff opens against Australian Ajla Tomljanovic who she played once before and defeated at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
2. Naomi Osaka
Japan’s Naomi Osaka is the 2018 and 2020 US Open champion. Since coming back from maternity leave in 2024, Osaka has been striving to be in the mix in Grand Slam hardcourt events.
She has played well this summer and has the game.
Her recent performance against Victoria Mboko in the Canadian Open final gave fans hope she is on her way back.
This is the first Grand Slam since her return that she is seeded. The 23rd seed Osaka faces Belgian Greet Minnen in the first roudn.
3. Emma Raducanu
2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu has played her best tennis in 2025 since surprising the world by winning in New York as a qualifier four years ago.
A key element for her has been her health. Riddled with injuries since her last win, this is the healthiest she has been for a long stretch since that time.
She has shown she can win big matches and enjoys the New York environment.
Her first round match is against Ena Shibahara.
4. Aryna Sabalenka
Normally, being the defending champion is a huge plus. However, in recent years, no one has been able to defend her title the following year. Serena Williams was the last to do so a decade ago.
That brings us to World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka who has struggled in Grand Slams this year despite making the finals of two and semifinals of one.
She has not won a Grand Slam since last year’s US Open, and the comfortable hold she had on the World No. 1 ranking could be at stake.
Sabalenka opens her US Open title defense against Swiss tennis player and World No. 109 Rebeka Masarova.
5. Iga Swiatek
Since winning Wimbledon, Iga Swiatek looks like a different player.
That win gave her immeasurable confidence and the ability to play freely.
She won the Cincinnati Open and has the World No. 1 ranking back on her radar.
Swiatek opens against her US Open campaign against Colombian Emiliana Arango.
6. Venus Williams
Venus Williams is the living legend who has shown fans this summer in Washington DC that she still has game.
Does she have enough game to win another Grand Slam?
Any time she steps on the court is a win for women’s tennis.
Her first US Open match is a tough one against Karolina Muchova.
