With the 2009 women’s U.S. Open singles competition set to kick off on August 28, the only question is which Williams sister do you route for on opening day?
This year’s field will have 99 of the top women from 34 different countries all over the world.
The juggernaut Williams sisters, Venus and Serena, lead the pack despite their No.2 and No.3 ranks. However, to many critics, they both play like the top seed.
Serena, the 27-year-old right-hander, seems to have an extra supply of vigor and stamina that the rest of the competitors wish they had. She fits the total physical specimen for the model athlete in women’s tennis.
Overwhelming her competitors with massive backhands and bullet-like serves, Serena is the returning U.S Open Champion.
Her game was waning for a little while last year, and people thought she was falling off the top-women’s radar. However, her stellar win at last year’s U.S Open over Serbia’s Jelena Jankovic in two sets, 6-4 and 7-5, showed that she is here to stay.
Despite her younger sister’s authoritative control over the net, Venus poses the biggest threat to Serena’s title.
Venus, the former No.1, has slipped only two spots, but still dazzles the crowd, as she is one of the most feared tennis players in women’s competition.
The tandem rivalry recently occurred again in the 2009 Wimbledon finals. Coming in as the third seed, Venus was the underdog for the finals and the title proved to be so, as her younger sister had a tremendous showing and defeated her 7-5 and 6-2.
Though the Williams sisters are the front-runners for the U.S. Open title and $1.6 million top prize, there is an array of strong-willed competitors who will give them a run for their money.
Dinara Safina, the Russian 23-year-old, is the No.1 ranked women’s tennis player in the world, but she still has to prove to her loyal fans that she can win her first grand slam title.
On the other hand, in 2009, another Russian, Svetlana Kuznetsova, was the victim of the Serena’s winning onslaught at the Australian Open. Kuznetsova got her revenge later in the year by beating Serena in the semifinals of the French Open, and going on to taking the title at one of the most respected grand slam events of the year.
This year’s group of women is stacked, and the 23,000 fans sitting at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park will be treated to an incredible spectacle of tennis talent.
