Now that the US Open’s Mixed Doubles tournament has come to an end, with Andrea Vavassori and Sara Errani claiming the title, it is time for the Singles tournaments to begin. After much anticipation, the official draw is complete, and the order of events and pairings for the tournament have been announced, with all 64 first-round games set up and ready to go! Fans can now prepare themselves for some stellar matches with top-tier players such as Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, and yes, thanks to a wildcard, even two-time US Open champion Venus Williams.

In the series of brackets shared by Jose Morgado on X, fans can get a full insight into the way the tables work for each round of the tournament. In round 1, for example, there are 64 singles matches between 128 players. To qualify for the women’s singles tournament, players are required to have a WTA ranking of 150 or higher or can also make it in by winning a qualifying match. And, in the case of Venus Williams, some players can enter the tournament via wildcard.

So, here’s a look at what fans can expect as the women’s singles tournament commences on the 24th of August. In round 1, world No. 1 and No. 1 seed Aryna Sabalenka will be facing off against Rebeka Masarova, who is currently ranked 109. Emma Navarro, who recently had an embarrassing exit from the Monterey Open, will be facing Yafan Wang from China, and interestingly, Alycia Parks, who defeated Navarro in the Monterey Open, will be facing off against Mirra Andreeva, who defeated Navarro in Wimbledon.

Meanwhile, Iga Swiatek, the No. 2 seed currently in red-hot form, having won the Cincinnati Open and then making the finals of the mixed doubles event, will go up against Colombia’s Emiliana Arango. Coco Gauff, fresh from a last-minute coaching change, will be looking to erase her recent form (and unforced errors) as she faces off against Ajla Tomljanović of Australia.

Also, interestingly enough, two-time US Open champion in 2000 and 2001, Venus Williams, will be opening the tournament by playing against Czech player Karolina Muchova, who is a two-time semifinalist for the same tournament. But, 24 years after Williams’ last title here, it’ll be interesting to see how things pan out.

Venus Williams’ comeback to the Grand Slam stage

So far, Williams hasn’t had much luck against Muchova, who she will be playing in the first round of the tournament. The duo was paired against each other in round 1 of the Mixed Doubles tournament, with Williams playing with fellow American Reilly Opelka. Muchova and her partner Andrey Rublev ended up beating the duo 4-2, 5-4.

Additionally, Venus Williams, at 45, is the oldest singles player in the US Open since Renee Richards in 1981, who was 47 during that tournament. The fact that Williams is playing a grand slam at this stage in her career is a true testament to her talent and longevity, something that couldn’t be denied at the DC Open earlier this year. Williams won her round 32 match against Peyton Stearns 6-3, 6-4, and managed 9 aces!

Coco Gauff said of that match, “I never cook, but I made dinner that night… Dinner and everything because I was so excited to watch her play. That was the first match I’ve been excited to watch in a while.” However, the fact that Williams has 16 years on Muchova is bound to come up in the round 1 match between the two players.

Muchova is also going to want to progress further in this tournament more than ever this year, considering she only made it to the semifinals in the last two years. She lost to Coco Gauff in 2023 and Jessica Pegula in 2024, but if the 12th seed wants to win this tournament, now is the time to make some moves, starting with a historic one against Venus Williams.