Serena again leads list of homegrown contenders
Monday 31 August 2015 19:18, UK
With the US Open now under way, we pick out six homegrown favourites for the New York crowd.
Reigning women's champion Serena Williams will again carry the hopes of the partisan fans.
However, her compatriots will also be keen to impress the home support at Flushing Meadows...
Serena Williams
The world No 1 is unsurprisingly the favourite to retain her women's crown after winning every Grand Slam trophy on offer so far this year.
Williams, who has already been triumphant at the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon, will complete the Calendar Grand Slam if she wins the title for a fourth successive year.
It's hard to see anyone beat her apart from herself, because she's so much better than everybody else.
But the 33-year-old has struggled with the burden of expectation before, losing her temper with a line judge in a surprise semi-final defeat to Kim Clijsters, while she clashed with the umpire during the 2011 final defeat by Sam Stosur.
She has strung together a long unbeaten run since that loss to Stosur and Sky Sports expert Greg Rusedski believes Williams will be crowned as champion if she retains her composure.
Rusedski told Sky Sports: "It's kind of like she is destined to get all four in the calendar year. It's hard to see anyone beat her apart from herself, because she's so much better than everybody else.
Madison Keys
Keys has already enjoyed a year to remember, reaching the semi-finals of the Australian Open and the quarter-finals at Wimbledon.
Serena Williams halted her impressive run in Sydney, but has heaped praise on Keys, tipping her to win Grand Slam titles in the future.
Her promising career is guided by coach Lindsay Davenport, a former world No 1 who is fully aware of what it takes to win the US Open after lifting the silverware in 1998.
Keys has never ventured past the second round, but it will be a shock if the highly rated 20-year-old makes another early exit.
Possessing powerful ground strokes, Keys is one of the biggest servers in the women's game, sending down serves of over 100 mph.
Sloane Stephens
The American No 2 should head to the US Open with renewed confidence after consistent displays this year, which saw her win a maiden WTA title at the Citi Open.
Stephens had struggled to build on her breakthrough year of 2013, when she defeated compatriot Serena Williams on her way to the Australian Open semi-finals.
But the 22-year-old has rediscovered her form this year and also reached semi-finals at Strasbourg and Eastbourne.
Stephens could well improve on her previous best showing, a fourth round appearance two years ago.
Coco Vandeweghe
The 23-year-old was the subject of various creative headlines this summer after she reached the quarter-finals at Wimbledon.
Fans at the All England Club threw their support behind Vandeweghe as she faced Maria Sharapova, and the talented Californian gleefully pumped up the crowd during a battling display.
The world No 45 eventually went down in three sets, but did not leave quietly, suggesting that the Russian was guilty of unsporting behaviour by moving while Vandeweghe was serving.
There will be plenty of pride at stake when she faces Sloane Stephens in the opening round.
John Isner
The 30-year-old uses every inch of his 6ft 10in tall frame to pound down one of the biggest serves on the men's tour.
Isner has come up short against Britain's Andy Murray at key stages in his career, back in the 2011 US Open quarter-finals, his previous best, and most recently in the Davis Cup in March.
A straight sets defeats against the Scot sealed Great Britain's victory and Isner may have even more motivation than his compatriots to perform well in front of the home crowd.
He has warmed up well for the tournament, defending his title on the hard courts of Atlanta, and the surface should suit his powerhouse style of play.
Jack Sock
The 22-year-old is one of the rising stars of US tennis and became the youngest American to reach the last 16 at the French Open since Pete Sampras in 1993.
He had earlier defeated 10th seed Grigor Dimitrov in the first round and forced Rafael Nadal into a fourth set before eventually suffering defeat.
Sock has also enjoyed success in the doubles and partnered Vasek Pospisil while winnings the Wimbledon title in 2014.
An aggressive baseliner, Sock defeated compatriot Sam Querrey to take his first title at the US Men's Clay Court Championships this year, and could pose problems to any of the big names.
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