Ranking the women’s contenders going into the 2026 US Open

History could be made as Aryna Sabalenka is seeking to become the first women’s singles player to win three straight US Open championships since Serena Williams pulled off the feat from 2012 to 2014.

Sabalenka, the world’s top-ranked player, will no doubt have some competition in seeking that three-peat, as she is one of seven former champions entered into the tournament this year — Coco Gauff (2024), Iga Świątek (2022), Naomi Osaka (2018, 2020), and Emma Raducanu (2021).

Two of the wild cards for the US Open went to 46-year-old Venus Williams, a two-time champion, and Sloane Stephens, who won the tournament in 2017.

Ranking the women’s contenders going into the US Open

Aryna Sabalenka

The two-time defending champion hasn’t won a Grand Slam this year, and she is certainly overdue. She is hanging on to her No. 1 ranking by a thread. Anything less than a deep run at the US Open, and she could lose her nearly-100-straight-weeks run at the top.

Elena Rybakina

The woman threatening to snatch that No. 1 ranking from Sabalenka already has a hard-court Grand Slam title this year, having won the Australian Open. The caveat is that she has never advanced past the fourth round at the US Open.

Coco Gauff

Gauff is due for a championship run in New York. Since winning the title in 2023, she has been beaten in the fourth round in each of the last two tournaments. But strong finishes at the Miami Open and in Toronto have her primed for another strong showing, especially if her forehand and serve cooperate.

Jessica Pegula

At age 32, Pegula is the oldest woman currently ranked in the top 10 and has played her best tennis on hard courts despite losing to Diana Shnaider in the round of 16 in Toronto. She has made the finals and semifinals in the past two years and is expected to repeat those performances in 2026.

Iga Świątek

Known more for her clay court prowess, the 2022 US Open champion beat Rybakina in the Montreal final and could be the favorite to dethrone Sabalenka. The former No. 1 is attempting to keep alive her streak of winning at least one Grand Slam title, which she’s done each of the prior four years.

Wild card: Alexandra Eala

Amanda Anisimova could have been the choice here, as she has a US Open finals appearance to her credit. But Eala, the 21-year-old from the Philippines, has burst onto the scene in the past year and is now firmly in the top 20 heading into the US Open. And that lefty forehand is something to be reckoned with.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ranking the women’s contenders going into the 2026 US Open