Thoughts on the First Three Rounds for the Women at the US Open and a Look Ahead

The US Open first three rounds came to a close yesterday for the women, so this is a good time for me to give my thoughts on the women during this opening stretch.  Who impressed?  Who disappointed?  Check it out below, along with a look ahead to the rest of the tournament.

One of the player who really impressed me with how well she has played is Victoria Azarenka.  All of the attention is on how Serena Williams is just going to waltz right into winning the championship here.  And even though she totally deserves it we have totally forgot about the number one seed!  She has dropped six games, and beat Zheng Jie 6-0, 6-1.  Zheng Jie has made two major semifinals and took Serena Williams to 9-7 in the third at Wimbledon.  So, I was expecting a really competitive match, which was not the case.  Looking at the draw ahead, I foresee her facing Maria Sharapova in the Semifinals, which is the other women who impressed me.

Maria Sharapova has been totally dominate during the US Open this year.  She has only dropped seven games so far this tournament, and has not dropped more than two games since the First Round.  She crushed the young Mallory Burdette 6-1, 6-1.  Her powerful groundstrokes have been an ever-so-present part of her game.  As mentioned earlier, I fully expect her to reach the Semifinals to face Victoria Azarenka, but her path is much harder as she has to play two ranked opponents, possibly five seed Petra Kvitova in the Quarterfinals.  With the way she is playing, however, I believe nobody can stop her until the Semifinals.

So, who has disappointed me?  Well, who else could it be other than Caroline Wozniacki?  This is the second major in a row that she has gone out in the First Round, however this one was different.  When she lost to Tamira Paszek at Wimbledon, she took a set and then went out fighting 6-4 in the third.  This time, against an unkown opponent Begu, she went out meekly.  She lost 6-2, 6-2 in a disappointing loss for the former number one.  For Wozniacki, now the long wait for the Australian Open ensues.

So, now it is prediction time.  I have already stated who will make it to the Semifinals in the top half of the bracket, but what about the bottom half?  The obvious semifinalist is Serena Williams, but the other one will be Angelique Kerber, who will just edge out Aga Radwanska in the Quarterfinals.  Sharapova will beat Azarenka in three sets, and Serena Williams, out for revenge against Angelique Kerber, will beat her in two sets.

So, the Finals will be Maria Sharapova against Serena Williams.  This is a rematch of the 2012 Olympic final.  Serena Williams won 6-0, 6-1 there, and I do not expect a much different result here either.  Serena Williams will beat Maria Sharapova 6-3, 6-1 to win the US Open.