The grass court season is over for another year and we are about to kick-start the countdown to next month’s US Open.
Iga Swiatek and Jannik Sinner were the big winners at Wimbledon this year as they carried off the big titles at the All England Club and those two will be the players to beat as they hit the hard courts in Canada and America over the next few weeks.
World No 1’s Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka have plenty of ranking points to defend after their stellar form at this time last season and here are our Tennis365 predictions for the upcoming hard court season.
Sinner under threat
Even after his three-month doping suspension, Sinner has been dominant at the top of the world rankings over the last year, but he could face his first big threats to that position over the next few weeks.
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The Italian has 3,200 ranking points to defend in this spell of the season after his wins at the ATP 1000 event in Cincinnati was backed up by his US Open success a few weeks later.
World No 2 Carlos Alcaraz may be eyeing up a chance to trim Sinner’s lead in the race for finish the year at the top of the rankings as he has limited points to defend after disappointing early exits in Cincinnati and the US Open last year.
After confirming he has pulled out of the ATP 1000 event in Montreal, presumably due to the elbow problem he suffered at Wimbledon, he will have limited time on hard courts as he headi the Cincinnati Masters next month.
It all means Alcaraz should only be able to gain ground on his big rival over the next few weeks in the ATP rankings, as their compelling rivalry continues.
Verdict: Sinner is in a league of his own and will defend his US Open title.
Raducanu and Eala to make a rise
Bizarrely, Emma Raducanu played just one tournament between Wimbledon and the US Open last year, with her first round exit at Flushing Meadows ensuring she has plenty of ranking points to chase over the next few weeks.
A handful of wins could give Raducanu up to 1,000 ranking points across the WTA 1000 events in Montreal, Cincinnati and the US Open.
If she could add that kind of total to her current rankings tally, she could be back in the top 20 of the world rankings by the end of the final Grand Slam of the year.
Alex Eala also has a big chance to make ground over the next few weeks, as the trailblazer from the Philippines star was playing lower-ranked events this time last year and some wins over the next month will fire her rapidly up the rankings.
Verdict: If she stays fit, Raducanu will be back in the top 20 of the WTA Rankings by the end of the year.
Swiatek vs Sabelanka
The two players considered by many observers to be the best in the women’s game could renew their rivalry after Swiatek’s impressive Wimbledon win.
Iga’s slide in form saw her drop down to No 8 in the rankings ahead of her sixth Grand Slam win, but she is back up to No 3 and will be eyeing a second US Open win next month.
She also has a chance to collect plenty of ranking points over the next few weeks, after disappointing displays in America following her draining experience at the Olympic Games last summer.
Sabalenka has been taking some time away from tennis to reflect on a challenging start to the year, with heartbreaking defeats in two Grand Slam finals in Australia and France backed up by a Wimbledon semi-final exit.
Sabalenka will not want this year to end without another major title coming her way, so expect her to be fired up for the US Open.
Verdict: Sabalanka to bounce back and win in New York.
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The post Emma Raducanu and Alex Eala make rankings breakthrough as Carlos Alcaraz cuts Jannik Sinner’s lead – Tennis365 predictions appeared first on Tennis365.
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