Varvara Gracheva seeks to catch defending US Open champion Coco Gauff on a bad day when they face off in Monday's first-round match at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The home hope has had a challenging couple of months since reaching the Roland Garros semi-final, and she aims to avoid a shock early exit against her French opponent.
Match preview
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No women's singles player has retained the US Open title since Serena Williams in the early 2010s, and Gracheva seeks to stun Gauff in Monday's round one match to keep that run going.
However, the Frenchwoman must overcome recent first-round exits in the previous two years, following consecutive third-round exits in 2020 and 2021.
Gracheva has typically fared better at Roland Garros than at other Slams, underscored by her 50% win rate at the Australian Open and New York which pales in comparison to 62% in Paris.
While no first-round exit has been suffered in the first three Majors in 2024—second round Down Under and at Wimbledon and fourth round at Roland Garros—the 24-year-old faces an uphill task against one of the favourites for this year's title.
Despite exiting in the round of 32 in Cincinnati, Gracheva pushed Iga Swiatek to a deciding set in her eventual exit, a one-off proof of her competence against the top players on Tour.
The Frenchwoman aims to stun her American opponent, whose results have dipped since suffering an unexpected fourth-round exit to countrywoman Emma Navarro at Wimbledon.
While Gauff matched her previous best at the Championships by advancing that far, it was seen as an opportunity missed for the World No. 3 due to the raft of enforced withdrawals and early eliminations suffered by the potential winners in SW19.
The 2023 US Open champion's form has dipped in the subsequent tournaments, uncharacteristically exiting in the last 16 to eventual silver medallist Donna Vekic at the Paris Olympics, suffering a third-round loss to Diana Shnaider at the Canadian Open and losing in round two to Yulia Putintseva in her title defence in Cincinnati.
Gauff aims for a deeper run at Flushing Meadows, keen to put the recent early eliminations behind her as she seeks to be the first woman to retain her crown in New York since Williams's three straight victories from 2012 to 2014.
Having become the fifth different champion in the past five years following her 2023 triumph, the 20-year-old hopes for a different outcome from the previous four winners before her, keen to notch her second Slam triumph.
Head To Head
Auckland (2024) - Quarter-final: Gauff 6-1 6-1
Both players' only prior meeting came at the start of the year in a WTA 250 tournament before the Australian Open, with Gauff beating the Frenchwoman 6-1, 6-1.
Seven months removed since that comfortable win for the American, Gracheva will hope to notch more than two games and put up much more resistance.
We say: Gauff to win in two sets
Regardless of her dip in form in the lead-up to her home Slam, Gauff should avoid playing a deciding set against the World No. 66, keen to extend her winning run at Flushing Meadows to eight victories.
