Coco Gauff made a very interesting claim after her early exit from the 2025 Wimbledon. She said, “I’m not going to dwell on this too long because I want to do well at the US Open.” However, despite trying hard to get back on the winning track, the American failed to deliver in both Montreal and Cincy. She was knocked out of the Cincinnati Open by Jasmine Paolini (in the QF). Gauff will be keen to secure the second US Open title of her career. However, it’s not going to be easy!

Fierce rival Aryna Sabalenka will be returning to the US Open as the reigning champion. Although the Belarusian has already won three titles this season, her record at the major tournaments has been quite surprising. She started the season reaching the final of the AO, where she was defeated by America’s Madison Keys in three sets. Following that, Sabalenka also reached the final at the French Open, but this time she was beaten by Coco Gauff in another three-set thriller. At Wimbledon, she was knocked out by Amanda Anisimova in the SF.

Seeing her performances in the major tournaments this season, there have been some doubts about putting her as a favorite at the US Open. If not Coco Gauff or Aryna Sabalenka, who else has a chance to win the title this year in NY? Well, in a recent interview with Tennis 365, Serena Williams’ childhood coach, Rick Macci, made a bold prediction. He said, “I called this a couple of years ago. I knew where this was going. She (Andreeva) is gonna be number one, she’s my pick to win the US Open.“

Ranked 5th in the world, Andreeva has already won two titles (Dubai Tennis Championships and Indian Wells) this season. Not only that, Andreeva has recorded five of her six top 10 wins this year during these title triumphs. Should we call her a ‘Giant Slayer’? According to Macci, “I called this a couple of years ago, I knew where this was going. She (Andreeva) is gonna be number one, she’s my pick to win the US Open. And I know a lot of coaches don’t like the kids or people to do that, but listen, the game is very different than even six years ago, 10 years ago. The game is so much faster and quicker, the ball speed, movement is a premium, stroke mechanics is at an all-time high, and you gotta have the forehand slice!“

Macci also added that in one of her matches against Sabalenka, he counted that she did it almost 30 times. He loves how Mirra Andreeva chips the ball and keeps it in play, where a lot of players reset it with topspin. Rick Macci is quite impressed by the variation that this teenager brings to her game. He claims Andreeva “checks all the boxes in my book,” and hence, he feels, number one ranking is around the corner for this teenage sensation, and also that’s the exact reason why he has picked her as a favorite for the US Open.

If we take a look at her record against Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka, the American has a 4-0 edge over Mirra Andreeva in the H2H record. Against Sabalenka, Andreeva has a better record (2-4). Her most recent win against the Belarusian came at the 2025 Indian Wells final. Surely, Andreeva will be among the top WTA stars to watch out for at the US Open, but this isn’t the first time we’ve seen Coco Gauff getting snubbed in a US Open prediction.

On 11 August, during The Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast, we saw a similar thing. Stubbs said that she thinks it’s hard for Coco Gauff to go into the US Open unless she does really well at the Cincinnati Open. However, she claimed she wants to see her do well, the tennis legend also added, “But man, like not having a confidence going into that tournament, knowing she’s going to be an Arthur Ashe every single night with that pressure on her shoulders.” Instead of Gauff, she was spotted giving the other American, i.e., Madison Keys, a little edge at the US Open. Seeing these bold predictions surrounding the 2023 US Open champion makes us wonder what the draw is like for Gauff at this tournament.

Taking a look at Coco Gauff’s probable road to the final at the 2025 US Open

Last year, Coco Gauff was defeated by her compatriot Emma Navarro in the R16. This year, she’ll be entering her Home Slam after already tasting success at a major stage in the same season. Currently, dropped to number 3, Gauff will be desperate to bring out her A-game on her home soil, but the road to the final is full of challenges!

She will be facing Ajla Tomljanović in the first round. Aussie star had reached the QF in 2022, and this will be her second meeting with Coco Gauff. Currently, Coco Gauff has a 1-0 edge over Tomljanovic in the H2H record. If she wins this match, she could probably face Donna Vekic in the next round. Interestingly, it’s leveled at 1-1 with the Croatian at the moment. So, that would be a contest to watch out for. A win in the second round would ensure a possible meeting with Peyton Stearns in the third round, and if Coco Gauff wins that match, she could face the two-time US Open champion (2018,2020) Naomi Osaka in the fourth round.

Her probable opponent in the QF is Madison Keys. Gauff has a 3-3 record against her compatriot. If she wins this match, she may face Iga Swiatek in the semis before setting up an epic battle against Aryna Sabalenka in the final.

Coco Gauff recently made a change in her team. She has brought in Gavin MacMillan, a biomechanics expert, to help her overcome her serving woes. However, despite this change, tennis bigwig Matt Roberts claimed, “She could be vulnerable in early rounds too.” Do you feel the same after seeing the draw, though? Check out EssentiallySports’ minute-by-minute update of the US Open on our Live Blog.