A wave of young players, both male and female, is sweeping across the tennis circuit, and we reckon it is at Flushing Meadows that we will see a new champion crowned
The current state of affairs on the professional tennis circuit is as such—for men's singles, the hot favourite to win the US Open is undoubtedly Novak Djokovic, the world number one who has already snagged all three Grand Slams for the year. But standing in his way is a brigade of young next-gen talents including Alexander Zverev, Stefano Tsisitpas and Karen Khachanov—all of whom are Rolex Testimonees and champions in their own rights. Will they be able to resist the pressure, outlast the competition and hold court?
As for women's singles, inconsistency is the name of the game with three different sets of finalists for each of the three completed majors for the year. Naomi Osaka outclassed Jennifer Brady at the Australian Open; Barbora Krejčíková defeated Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova at Roland-Garros; and Ashleigh Barty edged out Karolína Plíšková at Wimbledon. But interestingly, one can also notice that there is a similar change of guards among the female tennis players. The women hogging headlines and earning the extra column inches are, like their male counterparts, from a younger generation. Think the likes of Rolex Testimonees Belinda Bencic and Bianca Andreescu, who are all under 25 years old.
The US Open, which will be held from 31 August to 12 September, is the last Grand Slam tournament for the year. Rolex has been the official timekeeper of the tournament since 2018 and the Swiss watchmaker is also the official timekeeper at all four majors of the year. These partnerships, on top of those with major tennis organisations, form a key anchor of the close-knit relationship Rolex has with the sport since it joined hands with Wimbledon in 1978.
Here, we have the youth brigade of male and female players we think have a realistic chance at winning the US Open title this year.
Belinda Bencic
Currently ranked 12th in the world, the 24-year-old made recent headlines by becoming the first Swiss woman to win a gold medal in tennis at the Tokyo Olympics. With her sharp groundstrokes and acute court sense, she overcame Marketa Vondrousova 7-5, 2-6, 6-3 in the women's singles finals before earning a silver in women’s doubles with compatriot Viktorija Golubic. Will the Rolex Testimonee tame the inconsistency that has plagued her career and continue her good form to win her maiden Grand Slam title?
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