Cover Rolex Testimonee and newly crowned Olympic gold medallist Belinda Bencic in action at US Open 2019 (Photos by Rolex)

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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Alexander Zverev

This is a young man on a red-hot winning streak. After all, the German has just won 11 matches on the trot, clinching the Olympic gold medal in men's singles in Tokyo before demolishing Andrey Rublev 6-2, 6-3 in the Western & Southern Open final in Cincinnati, US. More significantly, he was the one who put an end to Djokovic's Golden Slam (winning four Grand Slams as well as the Olympic gold medal) dream at the Tokyo Olympics. The 24-year-old's outstanding performance against Djokovic showed that the Serbian was in fact pregnable in a year when his play has been scintillating and almost unplayable at times. Zverev definitely has the talent to be up there against the best but razor-sharp focus and a cool head will give him an edge over his closest rivals at the US Open. 

Stefanos Tsitsipas

Tatler Asia

After a brilliant performance at Roland-Garros before losing to Djokovic in the final, the 23-year-old admittedly did not quite play up to expectations at Wimbledon—he was surprisingly bundled out of the All-England Club in the first round. But since then, he has since picked his form—and himself—up by progressing to the latter stages of the ensuing tournaments he played in. The Greek, with his powerful groundstrokes and strong forehand, can prove a difficult opponent to manage on court, and when combined with his aggression, he is a potential winner and potent challenger to the US Open title.

Bianca Andreescu

In 2019, Andreescu, at just 19 years old, defeated legend Serena Williams in straight sets to clinch the US Open, thus becoming the first Canadian tennis player to win a Grand Slam singles title, and the first teenage Grand Slam singles champion since Maria Sharapova won the same tournament in 2006. But she missed a good early part of the 2020 season because of a knee injury, and she then tested positive for Covid-19 later in the year, forcing her to miss several tournaments. These issues disrupted her rhythm, which explains her erratic performances for 2021. But don't let that discount the 21-year-old's talent and immense potential. If she gets a good run going, there is a good chance that she might lift the US Open trophy once more. 

Karen Khachanov

Tatler Asia

On paper, the Russian giant (he stands at 1.98m tall) looks like he only has an outside chance at winning the US Open. After all, he has no Grand Slam title under his belt. But the Rolex Testimonee had a very decent run at the Toyko Olympics, earning a silver medal after he lost to Zverev in the final. Before that, the aggressive baseliner also performed credibly at Wimbledon, only ending his run at the quarter final stage. Known for his forehand, which he hits with speed and lots of spin, Khachanov could prove a tough nut to crack if he cobbles yet another impressive run together. 

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