US OPEN TENNIS: WOMEN'S PREDICTION

THE RACE IS ON

If the Men's Open field is put wide open with the recent developments in the US Open series tune-ups, the women's field is even more unpredictable. With current World No. 1 Serena Williams and former top ranked Justine Henin out because of respective injuries, the rest of the field could take home the trophy this year. Big question lies on who will step out of the challenge and win it all this year.

Who could not remember the unexpected runs of Sam Stosur and Francesca Schiavone at the French? And with names like Sharapova, Ivanovic and Safina all coming of and recovering from injuries, 2010 US Open sure looks like an interesting one. Add that to the rollercoaster results of some high ranked players like Clijsters, Venus Williams and Dementieva and you have a puzzle to sort out. Well, the US Open may turn out to be a tournament of big surprises as well. It's anybody's ball game at Flushing Meadows. I list down some of the names that might slug it out for the title or go deep in this year's last Slam.

1. Maria Sharapova (Russia)

- In an injury laden women's field, Sharapova could have advantage. Of those top ranked players, she's the one that's currently on the rise. Despite her loss to Clijsters in the Cincinatti final, I still favor her chances. The 2 players who have somewhat a winning advantage over her (Henin and Serena) are both out and a good draw could spell victory for MaSha. Also, he has won 3 Grand Slams already, all of which coming in an even year (2004 Wimbledon, 2006 US Open and 2008 Australian Open). Did I say we're on an even year? This is her last chance to keep the streak.

2. Kim Clijsters (Belgium)

- with both Serena and Justine out of the picture, I could not help but bet with Kim to contend for this title again. What's important to note is that she is the defending US Open champion and will be hoping to retain her crown. Plus her recent title that came against Maria Sharapova in Western & Southern Financial Group Women's Open  is a good sign. Although doubts are now in the air as she apparently has a hip injury and that was evident with her quarterfinals loss to Vera Zvonareva in Montreal.

3. Elena Dementieva (Russia)
- Perhaps one of the best players never to have won a Slam yet, I am still pinning my hopes that Elena wins this one. Although her recent form has been in question, she has always been a fighter. Currently ranked 8th, she has suffered two straight second round losses into the US Open. Let's just hope that aside from her nerves, her health stays okay during the duration of the Open.

4. Venus Williams (USA)
- Venus will bear the Williams flag alone at this year's Open. But she herself isn't one hundred percent sure of participating in Flushing Meadows. Her health is in question and without match play ahead of the last Grand Slam of 2010, her chances have dwindled down by some points. Although let's not forget she was once a champion here.

5. Jelena Jankovic (Serbia)
- Jelena has been fairly consistent all year round and she is surely one of the players to beat for this year's last Grand Slam. She was a semifinalist at this year's French and reached the 4th round at Wimbledon. But her hard court preparations are not as good. She lost in the 3rd round at Cincinatti and bowed at the first hurdle in Montreal.

6. Svetlana Kuznetsova (Russia)
- Her recent slide is coming to an end. Being outside of the Top 10 (currently ranked 16), she has somewhat found her form in the hard court events prior to the US Open taking the title at Mercury Insurance Open before being stunned in the first round by Sharapova in Cincinatti. In Montreal he has currently reached the semis improving her chances of doing well in New York.

7. Victoria Azarenka (Belarus)
- 13th ranked Vika (as she is well known) has been considered one of the contenders in the last Grand Slam of 2010. Her victory over Sharapova in Bank of the West Classic has surely planted herself as a strong contender but just like that she came falling in the first round of Cincinatti to former top-ranked Ana Ivanovic. Her recent form is put back into gear as she has reached the semis in Montreal.

8. Vera Zvonareva (Russia)
- Vera is considered one of the better players in tennis but her emotions have been her waterloo so far. Currently ranked 11th in the world, she had a career defining runner-up trophy in this year's Wimbledon. However, after that she has been in odd form losing early in the 2 tournaments prior Montreal. She seems to be recovering as she is now in the Semis of the Rogers Cup.

9. Ana Ivanovic (Serbia)
- Despite her lowly ranking at 39, I still think with the right draw, Ana could strike gold once again. Once the world's top ranked player, she has struggled in form in the first parts of 2010. She has recently shown vast improvements so far defeating the likes of Azarenka to reach the semis in Cincinatti. Although her injury which cause her to withdraw into match against Clijsters puts doubt into her chances.

10. Caroline Wozniacki (Denmark)
- Ranked No. 2 in the world, Wozniacki is one of the few people who could go deep in the tournament. But I really don't fancy her chances. She might string a few surprises or two but she has not proven her mettle in the big stages yet. If she can repeat her run into last year's final into this year, then we're up for a good tournament for her.