US Open Women's Singles Players

Flushing Meadows, New York will play host to the very best in women's tennis. Not only can we expect to be delighted by the sophistication and skill of the top-ranked ladies players, but the US Open has the knack of attracting new and bold tennis apparel.

Who will ever forget Serena Williams 'strutting her stuff' in a mock leather cat suit at the 2002 Open, or her denim skirt and boots at the 2004 event? Whatever her next outfit will be, we are sure to be mesmerised by her power and skill on court all over again.

Unlike the men's event where Roger Federer is expected to claim the final Grand Slam title of the year, the women's singles tournament is not so clear cut.

In recent years there has not been one US Open women's singles player who has totally dictated the outcome of the US Open, unlike the Seventies and Eighties when Chris Evert and Steffi Graf ruled supreme.

The Williams' sisters did have the event tied up for the first four years of the new century, but since then the title has been shared out between the likes of current defending champion, Justine Henin, 2006 champion, Maria Sharapova, Belgian Kim Clijsters and Russian number two, Svetlana Kuznetsova.

Again, there are several US Open women's singles players who have the skill and pedigree to claim the top honours in New York:

• Maria Sharapova had a ghastly ending to her 2007 season, but is far from a spent force. With the end-of-year break she may well return rested and full of fight. She has clinched the title once already, and may well do it again in 2008.
• Both Venus and Serena Williams are on the comeback trail. They have been blessed with a huge amount of talent and skill but seemed to lose their way a bit after the dreadful killing of their older sister. Bets are that these two warriors will live to fight another day.
• Then, of course, there is the current world number one, Justine Henin. The spirited Belgian is quickly recovering from a failed marriage and other family disputes which definitely had her on the ropes a bit at the beginning of the 2007 season. What is so commendable is that even with her personal problems she has deservedly kept the number one slot, and has played some of the most exhilarating tennis of her career. It is likely that Henin will retain her 2007 US Open crown.
• Anyone in the Eastern European contingent of Svetlana Kuznetsova, Ana Ivanovic, Elena Dementieva, Ana Chakvetadze or Agnes Szavay could easily walk away with the title.

So, when all is said and done, the women's singles event is an open book - whoever plays the best on the day will, in all probability, walk away victorious. It would be wonderful though if one of the Williams sisters rose to the occasion yet again to claim their home-grown trophy.