For just the third time since 2011, Serena Williams will not be competing in the US Open. However, there are still plenty of notable Americans competing in tennis’ final Grand Slam event of the 2023 calendar year.
The women’s side of the draw will see two Americans seeded within the top six. Jessica Pegula will be the No. 3 seed as she looks to continue her strong play as of late — five quarterfinal appearances in her last seven majors — and win her first career Grand Slam title.
Meanwhile, 19-year-old wunderkind Coco Gauff is seeded sixth and she will also aim for her first career Grand Slam win. Since bursting onto the scene as a 15-year-old at Wimbledon in 2019, Gauff has continued to take steps forward to improve her game. She was a finalist at the 2022 French Open — where she lost to World No. 1 Iga Swiatek — and had a career-best finish as a quarterfinalist at the US Open in 2022 before losing to Caroline Garcia.
While Gauff and Pegula will be hoping that they can continue Serena’s tradition of dominance at the US Open, neither competitor’s path to the title will be easy. Swiatek remains a dominant force atop the tennis world while the likes of Arnya Sabalenka, Ons Jabeur and Elena Rybakina, to name a few, will also pose threats.
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