In case you haven’t been paying attention, every top 10 player in Serena’s half of the draw has decided to bow out early. Maria Sharapova withdrew with a leg injury yesterday, Ana Ivanovic failed to defend against Cibulkova’s aggressive play, Pliskova could only win 3 games total, and Suarez Navarro played anything but stellar tennis.
The highest seed left is #12 Belinda Bencic, who interestingly enough is one of the only two players to have beaten Serena this year. The win came in a tight 3-setter in Toronto just a few weeks ago. She plays her first round match before Serena takes center stage this evening. If you ask me, Bencic may be Serena’s toughest potential match up in her run for the title.
Makarova, Radwanska, Svitolina, and Keys are the other Top 20 players in Serena’s half of the draw. Who do you think will give Serena the most trouble as she attempts to take the US Open title, her 22nd Grand Slam title, and a calendar year Grand Slam?
