Australian Ash Barty appears primed to be the most consistent women’s number one since Serena Williams as she heads into the U.S. Open, while Naomi Osaka faces a difficult challenge in her title defence with a handful of contenders vying for their first Grand Slam title.
Former world number one Karolina Pliskova and 23-year-old Aryna Sabalenka are seen as potential threats to rattle the field, even though Barty will be rolling into Flushing Meadows on a wave of momentum.
Barty faced questions at the start of 2021 when she returned to competitive tennis having not played a match for 11 months but still holding the top women’s singles ranking during last year’s COVID-disrupted season.
The 25-year-old Queenslander has laid all those doubts to rest with a tour-leading five WTA titles in 2021, including her second major title overall at Wimbledon, cementing her spot at the top and…
