U.S. OPEN NEWS & NOTES
*The 2025 U.S. Open was a pinnacle moment for Dabrowski-Routliffe as the three seeds knocked off top seeds Siniakova-Townsend 6-4, 6-4 to claim their second title in New York. It was their signature moment last year before the pair split for 2026. Dabrowski-Routliffe were big underdogs in the final at 3.11 (+211). That was the second underdog win in the last three years. The straight sets finish was the third straight in the final. Siniakova-Townsend’s inclusion in the final also marked the first time the top seeded pair had made the USO final since 2016. The top seeded pair in New York has not won since Hingis-Mirza back in 2015.
*Last year was definitely a bit of a unicorn overall with the top three seeds making the semifinals. The last time we saw that many top four seeds in the semifinals was 2017 when the two, three and four seeds made it to the final four. Part of the reason we haven’t seen multiple top four seeds in the semifinals recently has been a run of upsets in round one the last several seasons. 2025 broke a streak of four straight U.S. Opens where the two seeded pair had lost their opener. Last year did continue the streak however that you see below of a top six seed losing their opener in New York with that occurring each run here since 2018.
*With that run of early upsets, let’s focus on underdog wins. In 2025, there were 15 dog wins among the 63 matches. The vast majority of those came in round one (10) with 3.78 (+278) being the largest hit when the six seeds, Kichenok-Perez, fell to Fernandez-Williams in round one. Four of the underdog wins last year in round one involved a seeded pair losing. The number of dog wins was down slightly from 2024 when 18 u-dogs scored victories. Eight of those came in round one with two of those hitting at 4.00 (+300) or better when a pair of seeds lost. The biggest hit of 2024 however would come in round two when (6)Errani-Paolini lost to Dart-Parry who were astounding 5.23 (+423) underdogs. The semifinals have also been a decent spot for dogs in the last three years with at least one semifinal going to the underdog in that span. Last year’s chalky semifinals ended a run of three straight years seeing multiple dog scores in the quarterfinals.
*When we talk underdogs, we usually see that seeds go down as a result. So how have unseeded pairs fared at the U.S. Open? Despite the three top seeds making the semifinals, we still saw an unseeded pair make the final four. That marked the fourth straight run of the U.S. Open where at least one unseeded pair made the semifinals. Overall, that also goes for seven of the last eight years in New York. Overall, three of the last six years have seen an unseeded finalist with all three occurring in even numbered years (hint, hint). The last unseeded champion came during the pandemic year of 2020 when Siegemund-Zvonareva outlasted (3)Melichar-Martinez/Xu. The quarterfinals have seen multiple unseeded pairs in seven of the last eight years. There’s likely going to be a team to two in the position to advance to the business end of the tournament. I’ll focus on them in the Unseeded Menaces section below.
*Another usual focal point for us is looking at how many matches went the distance. In 2025, 17 of the 63 matches went three sets. As you might expect due to the volume of round one matches (32), that’s where you found most of those with nine round one matches going three sets. There was only one three set match in 2025 between the quarterfinals, semifinals and final. Those numbers were down slightly from 20 three setters in 2024 with 13 of those coming in round one. One quarterfinal and one semifinal also went the distance two years ago.
*The story in New York for the media is going to be Venus and Serena returning to doubles play in New York. They last played the U.S. Open together in 2022, losing in round one. The sisters have not won a doubles match together since they made the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open back in 2014. They’ve played just three doubles matches since, going 0-3. The bigger story is the logjam of pairs vying for the last couple of spots in the race for the WTA Finals.
*Spots 8-13 are less than 400 points apart, so there could be some big movement near the bottom in this tournament. There’s basically five times fighting for two spots with Siegemund taking time off, they won’t factor into the mix and Paolini has been prioritizing singles due to her struggles with injury this year, so the Italians at least for the moment are a non-factor in figuring out these last few spots. A big run for Hsieh-Ostapenko this week would go a long way in likely sewing up one of those two spots.
Here’s the weekly look at pairs in the unseeded field who could position themselves to be contenders by tournament’s end.
Dart-Lumsden
The only thing missing from their resume this year is a Grand Slam run. This British pair is 14-2 this season with titles in three different tournaments, including their last one in Prague in late July. They were a bit of a disappointment at Wimbledon, losing in round one. The question will be how they match up against the better pairs they could see as this draw unfolds with both Bucsa/Melichar-Martinez and Aoyoma-Liang in their vicinity. Still, these two know to win, so they’ll be ones to keep an eye on.
Kessler-McNally
While most of the attention for an American pair will be on Venus and Serena, this could be the under-the-radar pairing that produces more. McNally has proven she can win with anyone on the doubles court. Her last tournament in Cincinnati, she teamed with Jovic to make a semifinal run that included an upset of Siniakova-Townsend. Grand Slams haven’t been as kind this season, but don’t forget that McNally is a two-time U.S. Open runner-up with Townsend and Gauff as previous partners. Now we know Kessler is not that kind of partner, but she’s been very competitive this year with a variety of partners. It’s all about chemistry here with these two pairing for the first time, but on home soil, they should have a chance to do some things.
Williams-Williams
Listen I don’t envision these two winning the whole thing, but the way their draw could unfold does leave the possibility of a nice run if they can get past (14)Chan-Joint in round one. That’s going to be the big test. If they score the upset early, then Hsieh-Ostapenko may be the only thing stopping them from a quarterfinal. Or in a realt fun twist, maybe we see Kessler-McNally going against them in the round of 16. Again, that is all a lot of speculation because they need a win first. I’m not sure they get it, but if they do, then it could be an interesting time for the two legendary sisters.
Kostyuk-Ruse
Broken record alert! If you have follow me for a while, you know this pair is ALWAYS on this list when they play. They have a wealth of experience at this level in doubles, including a couple third round finishes in New York. The Australian Open traditionally has been the Slam they make bigger waves at and you do have to look forward to a potential withdrawal if Kostyuk makes a singles run. Ruse is already out in singles. They could potentially match up against (6)Mertens-Shnaider in round two if both teams advance, so that would be a match that could help shape a quarterfinal berth.
Noskova-Sramkova
Your Wimbledon singles champ is back at it again playing both doubles and singles with little fanfare. Noskova is in fresh off those Cincinnati titles with Bouzkova, again proving what a threat she is in doubles each week. This pair has plenty of experience together, including a third round run at Wimbledon this season. That’s been their best showing in four Slam appearance, but I really like their spot in the draw to produce a potentially noisy run. Danilina-Krunic are the highest seeds in their area, but that pair has struggled to find the consistency that made them one of the best for the first half of 2026. I think this pair can do some damage and Noskova has proven that she is an unlikely withdrawal due to singles.
Kichenok-Kichenok
We have not seen a whole lot of the Ukranian sisters together this season with a 3-4 record in limited play. That said, they are the kind of duo who can show up and turn out results right away with that natural connection. They also can easily go home early, so it’s a long shot call. That said, their placement in the draw gives them a chance to grab some wins. Jiang-Zhang and Mihalikova-Nicholls are the seeds in their immediate area that would be in the way of making that quarterfinal run, but neither is an unbeatable pair from week-to-week. This will be a pair that I am eager to see if they can grab lighting-in-a-bottle as they can do.
Errani-Tagger
The Italian goes back to Tagger for another Grand Slam after the pair made round two of the French Open, losing a tight 7-6, 7-6 battle to Perez-Schuurs. I talked a little bit about how Errani-Paolini may not play much more this year depending on how much Paolini is wanting to keep herself physically fit for singles. That means we could continue to see Errani with different partners. She’s proven she can win with others as we saw with a nice Summer partnership with Melichar-Martinez that resulted in a couple finals. They could be an intriguing opponent for (2)Dabrowski-Stefani in round two where that quarter could get crazy quickly.
ONE AND DONE WATCH
There have been multiple seeds going out in round one in five of the last seven runs of the U.S. Open. I touched earlier on the streak for top six seeds going down early of late, so let’s take a look at the seeds who could be in early trouble in New York.
(6)Bucsa/Melichar-Martinez
Listen, I would be very surprised if they lost their opener to a team without much experience, but the 0-2 record this swing gives me pause. The six seeds have also lost three of their last four openers. Golubic-Wallert are the first round foes and they have not paired since 2023. Wallert has won a couple of clay court titles this year, while Golubic has at least shown a competitive streak in her minimal play this year. I think this one might be more interesting than you’d think with the seeds really needing a win to help them keep pace in the doubles race.
(7)Jiang-Zhang
This pair has just four matches together and three of them have finished in super tie breaks, so they’re walking the tight rope more often than not. They get Kenin-Potapova who have played just a single match together, a loss to Routliffe-Sutjiadi in DC. I’m still looking at how hard Jiang-Zhang have been working for those wins, so I do think this one will be competitive and if you get to a third set, anything can happen.
(11)Aoyama-Liang
It’s a third meeting with Neel-Olmos that will await the eleven seeds in round one. They’ve won both previous meetings, one a super tie break finish on grass and the other a straight sets win on hard courts in Cincinnati. You might say, well then isn’t win number three a given? Could be, but it’s also difficult to play the same team over and over when they’ve shown the ability to make things competitive. Aoyama-Liang have lost just one opener this year and that came off the transition from grass to hard courts in Toronto, so they may well get through here without much trouble, but I think it bears watching.
(12)Mihalikova-Nicholls
When don’t I put them on this list? I’m a broken record when it comes to this pair, but they are hard to predict week-to-week. We’ve seen that in the last month: three opening losses and one semifinal push in Toronto. Those first round exits are the concern and also the reason why Kato-Wu should have an opportunity here despite an 0-3 record. All three of their career matches have gone to a super tie break. This will be their first time pairing since Seoul last Fall, but these are two veterans who should have a legit shot to shake the upset tree.
(14)Chan-Joint
This is a good duo, but they get the unenviable task of facing the Williams sisters in round one. They’ll be playing on a big court and of course the entire crowd is going to be against them, so that’s a lot to start with. Chan-Joint have been steady this Summer at 5-3, making the Memphis final and Joint in particular has had a very good 2026. The Aussie comes in off winning her second doubles title of 2026 in Monterrey. She’s been to three finals this season with three different partners. This has the makings of a real banger given what the atmosphere is going to be like. The survivor will have a great opportunity to compete for a quarterfinal.
DRAW PREVIEW
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TOP HALF
First Quarter
Top seeds Siniakova-Townsend will be hoping to find better in New York after a bit of a letdown this Summer following their French Open triumph. They fell short at Wimbledon, losing to Guo-Mladenovic in the quarterfinals and then were stunned by Jovic-McNally in the round of 16 in Cincinnati. Those two losses doubled their total for the year, so that still shows that they’ve been the premiere duo most weeks when they play. The 2025 runners-up will be playing their third U.S. Open together and have never fallen short of the semifinals. I think their quarter looks well set up for them to at least be in position to challenge for another semifinal. (13)Hunter-Krawczyk are the other seeds in this quarter, but there’s little to suggest in their history that they’d be up to taking down the top seeds. They’re 3-3 this year, but just 9-12 overall and 0-3 in facing pairs that included either Siniakova or Townsend. The 13 seeds play two inexperienced Americans in round one in wildcards Bennett-Esposito. The bigger challenge for them likely is round two where it’s either Kempen-Panova or Kozyreva-Ninomiya. Kempen-Panova has the big run to the Cincinnati final that was sandwiched with opening losses in Toronto and Monterrey. Kozyreva-Ninomiya are an intriguing first time team with both seeing success this Summer with other partners. Kozyreva won Memphis with Lumsden and also made the final in Monterrey. Ninomiya made the Washington final with Klepac. Expect the winner to have a real shot at taking down the 13th seeds in round two. Any way you want to break down this half of the first quarter, Siniakova-Townsend should be the team opposite of this bottom half waiting to advance to the quarterfinals. While their chance of winning the titles might be more of a question, making the quarterfinals should not be. They’ve done that in all nine Grand Slams they’ve played together.
The bottom half of the quarter sees (6)Bucsa/Melichar-Martinez and (11)Aoyama-Liang as the seeds. That’s intriguing with both in the mix for those last couple of spots in the doubles race. Starting with Bucsa-MM, I laid it out earlier that they’ve struggled some lately with early losses. Golbic-Wattert might be the elixir they need, but right now, you have to consider it a close call with the seed’s recent form. The survivors seem likely to face Dart-Lumsden who have been menaces in doubles this season. Their last action was in Prague where they won the titles in July. I think they’ll be the danger duo in this part of the draw as the most likely unseeded pair to push through and play their way towards a quarterfinal. As for Aoyama-Liang, it’s Neel-Olmos part three. Having won both previous battles, they should have some confidence in this one, but I expect it will still be a tough time. The winner won’t be a shoe-in the next round with Birrell-Stearns or Cociarretto-Putintseva waiting. Both at least have some reps together this year, so this should be a nice matchup and I would not be surprised if the victor wasn’t a tough out in round two. I think Dart-Lumsden are the bigger unseeded threats here, so Aoyama-Liang might be the more likely seed to advance if one does.
I don’t think Siniakova-Townsend get stopped short of continuing their Grand Slam quarterfinal streak. As for who would face them in that round, that’s good question with the other half of this quarter looking a bit more open to me. There’s certainly a path for an unseeded pair to grab a quarterfinal here with Dart-Lumsden a favorite choice of mine, but let’s not forget Neel-Olmos made the QFs at Wimbledon just a couple months ago. They might have done their best work on grass, but I still feel like they’ve got the potential on this surface to ruffle some feathers too.
Second Quarter
Starting in the top half, (4)Hsieh-Ostapenko look to continue their dominance on this surface. They’ve won 16 of 20 hard court matches played in 2026. They made the quarterfinals at the Australian Open this year and let’s not forget it was just last year that this pair made the Australian Open AND Wimbledon finals. I like them to ease through to round two. The match between Bouzkova-Sorribes Tormo and Kessler-McNally is intriguing. I talked up Kessler-McNally earlier, but their veteran opponents in round one have plenty of experience to draw on. They haven’t been past round two at either Slam they played this season though and I really do think this all-American duo could be a tough out. For me, the Americans would be the tougher round two opponent for the four seeds. The other seed in this top half is (14)Chan-Joint who will play in what’s probably the only doubles match recognized by the media unless the Williams sisters go on a run. That’s going to be a fascinating watch. If a surprise team pops up in this section, Maleckova-Skoch could be the one. I can fathom a scenario where the Williamses craft the round one upset, but lose round two to that capable pair that just made the Philadelphia final on this surface. They have been mostly competitive at the Grand Slams this season outside of a lopsided loss to Danilina-Krunic at the French Open. It’s hard to look past the success of Hsieh-Ostapenko, but there are a lot of dynamic duos in the unseeded field stuck in this half.
The bottom half houses (8)Mertens-Shnaider and (10)Perez-Schuurs as the seeds. Mertens-Shnaider play just their third tournament together after going 2-2 this Summer. There’s definitely a lot of talent in this team, but you also have to weigh their singles workload too. I don’t think round one is a problem for them, but I would love, love, love to see them and Kostyuk-Ruse go head-to-head in round two. Kostyuk-Ruse play the U.S. Open for the fourth time with a pair of round of 16 finishes to their credit. They made the round of 16 at Wimbledon this year in their lone Slam of 2026, so they’re always capable of putting it together. I do temper a deep run for them with Kostyuk playing so well in singles that they could bail depending on how the schedule shakes out. Still, I would not expect that to be a consideration until the round of 16, so look for them as a potential spoiler in this section early. As for Perez-Schuurs, the ten seeds had been one of them steadier pairs on tour, but arrive on a three match losing skid. That said, they’ve made two Slam quarters this year and the round of 16 in Melbourne early in the season. Their draw is decent, but beware Piter-Siskova in round two if it happens. You might have forgotten, but that pair made the Wimbledon quarterfinals, so big match experience is there. This part of the draw is really interesting with none of these pairs arriving with particularly great form, so someone is gonna get hot at the right time. Could it be Piter-Siskova at a second straight Slam?
No doubt Hsieh-Ostapenko are the pair to beat here. Even less doubt that they could work through this quarter relatively unheralded as the focus stays on the Williamses for however long they last. I don’t think the four seeds will mind that at all. I’ve still got my Piggy Sense tingling for Kessler-McNally, but getting Hsieh-Ostapenko in round two might be too early as the Americans work on their chemistry … or it could be the perfect spot. We’ll find out. I think Piter-Siskova are the pair to watch in the other half since I don’t trust Kostyuk-Ruse to remain in the draw the whole way, although a loss by Kostyuk in the next day or so could change all that thinking. I do think Mertens-Shnaider have the ability to be very dangerous on this surface, but they need to get rolling early.
TOP HALF FORECAST
The two power houses in this half are Siniakova-Townsend and Hsieh-Ostapenko. For me, Siniakova-Townsend have still found ways to fall short this Summer, so I am going to unwisely go another way in this top half. I feel like Hsieh-Ostapenko might be due and they’ve shown the ability to beat Siniakova-Townsend (Wimbledon 2025) and they pushed them to three at the Australian Open last year before losing. If that’s the semifinal, sign me up for part four of that series. If there’s a surprise seed in this half, it might be Mertens-Shnaider, but some of that may depend on how long they last in singles. Kessler-McNally would be my dartboard shot among the unseeded pairs, but they could just as easily drop out early.
SEMIFINAL PIX: (1)Siniakova-Townsend vs (4)Hsieh-Ostapenko
BOTTOM HALF
Third Quarter
This quarter is led by Wimbledon champs (5)Guo-Mladenovic. They’ve split four matches post-Wimbledon with neither loss being termed “bad” with Routliffe-Sutjiadi and Hsieh-Ostapenko as the pairs to beat them on hard courts this swing. They square off with Chwalinksa-Linette with the two Polish players pairing for the first time. Chwalinska may be more on the rise in singles, but she’s no slouch in doubles with a final this year and she played Monterrey last week with a win over Kempen-Panova and a super tie break loss to Aoyama-Liang. Linette is a veteran, so this is an interesting first time pair. I still believe Guo-Mladenovic escape with the R1 win. The pair to watch in this top half is (9)Routliffe-Sutjiadi. Routliffe’s seemingly unending search for a partner since splitting from Asia Muhammad has ended with this pairing. They went 7-2 this Summer winning Washington DC, but still showing vulnerability with losses in Toronto to Mihalkova-Nicholls and to Bouzkova-Noskova in Cincinnati. They open with Li-Tauson who have been tough at times, but inconsistent on this surface. Like Guo-Mladenovic, I expect the #9 seeds to escape round one with a win. Haverlag-Ridisic could be an interesting round two foe as the Philadelphia champions won that tournament their first time pairing together. They might be the ones who could prevent a seed versus seed round of 16 in this half.
The other half has the three seeds Danilina-Krunic leading the charge. They have struggled to find form since losing the French Open final with a 4-5 record in five tournaments. Last year’s U.S. Open saw them go out in the round of 16, the same as this year’s Wimbledon. Their other three Slams together, they have made two French Open finals and the Australian Open final earlier this year. On paper, their early draw looks affordable to them grabbing some wins and momentum. Anything short of a round of 16 trip would be surprising. On the other side, it’s (15)Eikeri-Gleason who have snuck up on the field and inserted themselves into the doubles race. They finishes the hard court prep with a 4-4 record with two of those wins over seeded teams at this year’s Open in Bucsa/Melichar-Martinez and Perez-Schuurs. They’re a bit of a wildcard. I think round two if the toughest for them with Noskova-Sramkova or Americans Krueger-Montgomery waiting. I talked up Noskova-Sramkova earlier. I think that’s the potential menace in this section. If this was sometime before June, Danilina-Krunic would have been a straight-forward pick to work through this quarter for me. Now? They’re a bit of a question mark.
There are some powerhouses in this quarter among the seeds. You’ve got a two-time U.S. Open champion in Erin Routliffe seeking new glory with a new partner and then a pair like Danilina-Krunic who have made three Slam finals in the past two years. And oh yeah, don’t forget the Wimbledon champs Guo-Mladenovic. It would be somewhat shocking not to see one of those pairs getting through to the semifinals, but that may also be the percursor for that actually happening. I do think Eikeri-Gleason are a super sleeper in this section. They’re seeds sure, but most people don’t realize that they’ve got themselves involved in the doubles race. They’re 12th coming into the tournament. As for unseeded spoilers, I’m Team Noskova in doubles, so I won’t sleep on her and Sramkova as destroyers of dreams in this quarter.
Fourth Quarter
The final quarter is home to one of the most consistent pairs in 2026 that is still seeking that signature moment. I’m talking ‘bout (2)Dabrowski-Stefani. This interesting part of them coming to New York if they did not play together during the prep tournaments of the hard court Summer, so this is their first tournament together since losing the Wimbledon final. Their Slam resume is elite this year, two semifinals and a final. That said, if you look at the paths they took to get to those points, the draws did open up a bit for them. They’re not going to benefit from that in New York. They get Detuic-Khromacheva first who have gone 13-9 this year and took Guo-Mladenovic to a third set in a third round loss at Wimbledon. The plus for the seeds in this one is they easily defeated this pair in straights in Eastbourne this Summer on grass. Round two could see them draw Errani-Tagger and I already talked up my respect for Errani and just about any partner, so I’d expect that to be a tough test too. Do they pass both? Probably, but that round one match might be trickier than expected as they get back on court together for the first time in nearly two months. Remember Stefani took off the Summer swing to rest a sore elbow, so they’ll be hoping that helped her heal to 100 percent. At full strength, they no doubt have a shot to make a deep run with Dabrowski obviously knowing these courts well as a two-time champ. Up top, (16)Muhammad-Stollar are the seeds opposite of them in this bottom half. They’ve struggled at 1-3 during this swing, but they do have a workable draw. Keep an eye on Hozumi-Klepac, a first time pairing of vets. They intrigue me and could potentially be a pair that KOs Muhammad-Stollar short of the round of 16.
To the other half of this quarter, the seeds are (7)Jiang-Zhang and (12)Mihalikova-Nicholls. Jiang-Zhang have been pushed to super tie breaks in three of four matches they’ve paired together this Summer, so the margins are very small. That’s why I think Kenin-Potapova have a shot to knock them off in round one and further open up this section of the draw. Chong-Yang might be ones to monitor in round two as that pair made the semis in Philadelphia last week in their first tournament together. As a counterpoint, this set up also could be a reason if you’re a Jiang-Zhang fan that they could keep coming out on top with those small margins going their way. There’s not much that would surprise me here as just about all the aforementioned duos seem to have a shot to get hot and go. As for Mihalikova-Nichollls, which version do we get? The Toronto semifinalists or the pair that has lost their opener three times in their last four tournaments, including at Wimbledon. And by the way, they also lost their opener here last year. Kato-Wu should have a shot in round one and the Kichenok sisters also lurk in this area, so much like the opposite side of this half, there shouldn’t be a whole lot that surprises here. I truly think out of eight pairs, you can say six have a realistic chance to be in position to fight for a quarterfinal. If you’re asking me and why wouldn’t you? I kid, I kid. I think this section is ripe for the taking by an unseeded pair to grab a quarterfinal. Kato-Wu. The Kichenoks. Kenin-Potapova. Those are the three I like best. If a seed makes it, I’d always flow to Mihalikova-Nicholls because they can get hot out of absolutely nowhere.
This could be the quarter that produces an unseeded semifinalist, couldn’t it? Even Dabrowski-Stefani have some questions coming in, although I think if they’re healthy and in rhythm, they’re going to be back in position to challenge for a finals berth. That said, it also might be the quarter where the unseeded menaces also aren’t as strong as they are in other parts of the draw. Sticking with Dabrowski-Stefani is probably the smart choice here, but I do think the other quarterfinal spot in this quarter is going to be an unseeded pair.
BOTTOM HALF FORECAST
There are some strong seeds in this half, but most of them do have some questions to be answered. Dabrowski-Stefani certainly should carry the favorites label to make the final based on the entirety of their 2026 season, but I’m a little hesitant due to what looked like some good luck at the other Slams opening up and the time off from playing together. I think that will rectify itself quickly enough, but will this draw work in their favor? Their quarter says yes, but they still have some tough pairs they could see to get through to a final. That includes what would be an absolute gem to see with former partners and current “defending champions” in Erin Routliffe and Gabriela Dabrowski potentially facing each other in a semifinal if they can both make it. That’d be one hell of a story line. Dabrowski-Stefani have the better path on paper, but the proof will be on the court.
SEMIFINAL PIX: (9)Routliffe-Sutjiadi vs (2)Dabrowski-Stefani
The U.S. Open has produced its fair share of surprises recently. Even Dabrowski-Routliffe’s win last year was a surprise as far as who they beat in the final. Can Siniakova-Townsend buck the trend and become the first #1 seed to win here since 2015? No one would bet against it, but somehow it’s happened here year after year. Are we set for another surprise seeded win in the final? Kichenok-Ostapenko was that in 2024. Dabrowski-Routliffe were seeded 16th when they won in 2023. I feel like this tournament is always tough to predict because it comes with the wear and tear of the season grinding down on many of these pairs. Even though Dabrowski-Stefani have been somewhat fortunate with their draws to get deep into Slams, the fact of the matter is they have taken care of business and made it into the final four in all three Grand Slams. I am not really going with a surprise per say as a two seed winning isn’t a shock, but with this situation perhaps you’ll consider it one by the end of the tournament if it happens. I think the two seeds have a great draw, perhaps the best of the top four seeds. If they take advantage, they’re going to give themselves another shot. They may need someone to do the dirty work and eliminate SIniakova-Townsend who dominated them at the French Open in their last meeting, but there’s reason to believe that could happen. Hsieh-Ostapenko are my other choice. They have been consistent on this surface, but have been missing marquee wins this season. Maybe they don’t come at all, but perhaps this is also the time for them to score one or two of those along the way. It’s always a fun watch to see what shakes down in New York!
Dabrowski-Stefani
Hsieh-Ostapenko
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