Favourite Barty in full flow

NEW YORK • Ashleigh Barty appears primed to be the most consistent women's world No. 1 since Serena Williams as she heads into the US Open today, while Naomi Osaka faces a difficult challenge in her title defence with a handful of contenders vying for their first Grand Slam title.

Former No. 1 Karolina Pliskova and 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.

The Australian faced questions at the start of this year when she returned to competitive tennis having not played a match for 11 months but still holding the top ranking during last year's Covid-disrupted season.

The 25-year-old has laid all those doubts to rest with a tour-leading five WTA titles this campaign, including her second Slam title overall at Wimbledon last month.

Barty was comfortable with her decision to not travel amid the pandemic last year but since leaving her country in March, she has been on the road.

"I think there was probably a part of me that was a little bit unsure of how this year would go for a couple of reasons," she said after her win in Cincinnati last week.

"One being, seven to eight months out of the tour last year, and two, being in a completely new adventure, a new scenario, a new feeling for me of being away from home for so long."

Barty - who is bidding to become only the third Australian woman to win the US Open women's singles title after Sam Stosur and Margaret Court - is the bookmakers' favourite for a victory which would also give her a major trophy on all surfaces, with her maiden Slam coming at the 2019 French Open.

"I know the work that I've put in with my team. That's where all the gold lies," she added.

"It's keeping it simple, enjoying my tennis, and playing with freedom. Then it just comes down to execution, and knowing I have the confidence to go out there and trust myself is massive."

While she has found the calmness to handle huge expectations, Osaka, 23, has been struggling with mental health issues.

The Japanese was marked as the heir apparent to Williams when she beat the American 23-time Major winner in New York in 2018 for the first of her four Slam titles.

She has been nearly unparalleled on hard courts - winning four out of the last six Slams on the surface.

Osaka won the Australian Open this year but then withdrew from the French Open and skipped Wimbledon, while she also failed to get past the third round of the Tokyo Olympics last month or the recent Cincinnati Open.

But Barty acknowledged that two-time winner Osaka is a perennial threat at the US Open, saying: "Naomi is a pure ball-striker. When she has time to set up particularly after her first serve, she's one of the best first-serve, first-strike players I've ever come up against.

"On a hard court, there's not a lot of variation on the bounce. She can set up, trust the bounce, and really swing through the line. I think that's what makes her so damaging on these courts."

Williams withdrew on Wednesday, saying a hamstring injury needed more time to heal but a depth of talent remains in the women's competition.

Czech world No. 4 Pliskova has produced strong displays since joining forces with Osaka's former coach Sascha Bajin last year, and reached the Wimbledon final.

Sabalenka is now behind Barty in the rankings and ahead of Osaka. The Belarusian has won 10 WTA titles but had never gone beyond the fourth round at a Slam before last month's Wimbledon.

She has always had the power and the game to challenge for the title and her semi-final run at the All England club will give her the confidence to be in the mix in New York. REUTERS,

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