Saturday 24 August 2013 13:53, UK
Given the fact that Serena Williams has won 16 Grand Slam titles, the 31-year-old won't be around forever.
Madison Keys (Sky Bet odds: 250/1) The big serving 18-year-old withdrew from the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati with tendinitis in her right shoulder and will need to be fully fit if she is to give former world No 1 Jelena Jankovic an opening round test at Flushing Meadows. If the Rock Island native does fully recover for the final major of the year, then she will be one to keep a close eye out for. The 40th-ranked Keys, at 5ft 10in, is still growing and looks to have everything in the locker, including a monster serve and some ferocious groundstrokes. She has wonderful balance and her court coverage can compete with some of the very best. After failing to make an impression in Melbourne and Roland Garros she reached the quarter-finals on grass in Birmingham. Then, at Wimbledon, Keys destroyed British No 2 Heather Watson before bowing out in the third round to the unorthodox Agnieszka Radwanska. Madison may hold the key to the future of women's tennis in America and clearly has the weapons to be a top 10 player. She will receive tremendous backing from the Flushing Meadows' crowd if she overcomes her niggling injury when she takes on the Serbian. Kristina Mladenovic (Sky Bet odds: 500/1) Since winning the Junior French Open girls' singles title in 2009, Mladenovic's game has gone from strength to strength. Without doubt this has been the Frenchwoman's breakthrough year, jumping from world No 76 to 37 in the space of 12 months. She won her first ever WTA title at the Taipei WTA Open towards the end of last season, and this year, she teamed up with Canada's Daniel Nestor for the mixed doubles at the French Open. They surprised many by reaching the final, but were eventually defeated in a super tie-break by Czech pair Lucie Hradeck and Frantisek Cermak. However, she and Nestor rebounded from the loss by capturing their first grand slam title at Wimbledon. At 6ft 1in, Mladenovic isn't at all bad in singles action either having made four-time grand slam champion Maria Sharapova sweat on Centre Court in their first round encounter at the All England Club. The 20-year-old reached the third round of the US Open last year and will be aiming to equal that feet this time around, although all eyes will be on whether she and veteran Nestor can reach a third mixed doubles grand slam final. Eugenie Bouchard (Sky Bet odds: 500/1) Genie is a former Wimbledon junior singles and doubles champion who recently soared to her highest WTA ranking of 55 following a strong showing this summer. The 19-year-old's rise is all the more remarkable considering she was ranked at 144 towards the end of last year. After failing to qualify for the Australian Open she made it through to the semi-finals of the Internationaux de Strasbourg before losing out to Frenchwoman Alize Cornet. The girl from Westmount, Quebec, made her first grand slam main draw appearance at the French Open but went out to world No 2 Maria Sharapova in the second round. At Wimbledon, she recorded a career best win against former No 1 Ana Ivanovic on Centre Court and made it as far as the third round before being eliminated by Carla Suarez Navarro. At the Western & Southern Open, Bouchard gave 16-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams a severe test over three sets in their second round clash. She sports a long and lean frame, bright smile and golden locks and if she continues to show the same kind of skill, athleticism and aggression in her game, Bouchard has every chance of causing and upset or two in New York. Donna Vekic (Sky Bet odds: 1000/1) There have been a number of comparisions made between the 17-year-old from Croatia and four-time Grand Slam winner Maria Sharapova. Vekic is another one of the teen queens who is eager to make an impact on the women's game. Vekic, who trains in London and is mentored by 18-time grand slam champion Chris Evert, has already made it to two WTA Tour finals in her fledgling career. The most recent was at the Aegon Classic in Birmingham this summer, where she lost out to the experienced Daniela Hantuchova. Although she has yet to put together a solid run at a major, she has time on her side and will hope to improve on her current world ranking of 65 at Flushing Meadows. Magdalena Rybarikova (Sky Bet odds: 400/1) & Dominika Cibulkova (Sky Bet odds: 250/1) The Slovakian duo are both 24 years old, but they have been enjoying a successful last couple of years for the small Eastern European nation. The diminutive Cibulkova stands at just 5ft 3in tall but carries tremendous power. She was responsible for one of the upsets of last season when she took out top seed Victoria Azarenka at the French Open on her way to the quarter-finals. Most of Cibulkova's best results have come on the clay, although her success at Carlsbad last year and Stanford this year suggests she can compete on the hardcourts. Rybarikova, meanwhile, has been more successful in terms of WTA titles, having won in Birmingham, Memphis and claiming back-to-back titles in Washington DC. The lean and leggy player has a beautiful two-handed backhand and has a smooth and smart game which includes a solid serve and variation to her groundstrokes. She has recovered from a recent back injury to take her place in the draw for the final slam of the year and will arrive high on confidence.
