Each month, we turn to our ausopen.com experts to give their thoughts on players generating interest.
With the US Open approaching, we caught up with former world No.26 Casey Dellacqua to discuss five players who have enjoyed some of their best results in New York.
Naomi Osaka
Following her narrow Roland Garros defeat to Iga Swiatek, Osaka declared: “I'm kind of setting myself up for September anyway.”
It makes sense, given the two-time US Open champ is at her best on North American hard courts. But a second-round Toronto loss to Elise Mertens was followed by having to enter Cincinnati qualifying – her first qualifying-draw appearance since February 2018 – and she fell to Ashlyn Krueger in the final round.
Unranked at the start of 2024, Osaka is back inside the top 100 and has won more matches than she has lost in her comeback.
Yet Dellacqua believes the Cincy result might prove a watershed moment.
"It was an interesting post she put out, just around the fact that she was trying to figure out ... why she's missing balls, what she's feeling out there. Maybe she doesn't feel quite as connected to her body in terms of what's she's producing out on the court, and that can be really frustrating,” Dellacqua observed.
"I actually think maybe she is putting a little too much pressure on herself. It takes time to rebuild, not only getting back physically, but probably more the mental side of things. And I think it's also harder when you have had so much success, like Osaka's had prior to having a child.
RELATED: Osaka proud after almost pulling off greatest upset of Swiatek
“I think in her mind, she should be there way quicker than perhaps she is. So I think maybe just this moment in Cincinnati is a moment for her to take a step back and go, OK, it's not the end of the world. I'm not feeling like I'm playing my best, I'm not feeling like I'm executing well, but it's OK.
"I think it's been trickier for her as well post-Roland Garros, where she had that match point against Iga. Had she won that point, her trajectory could be totally different.
“So you have to remember those minute moments along the way, that could potentially shift where you're at.”
Carlos Alcaraz
According to Dellacqua, another player who could use some time to re-set is Carlos Alcaraz.
The Spaniard has enjoyed a stretch of phenomenal success and emotional intensity, winning Roland Garros and Wimbledon before a memorable Paris 2024 Olympics campaign.
READ MORE: Alcaraz repeats defeat of Djokovic in Wimbledon final
And now the US Open is almost upon us, where Alcaraz will target a third consecutive major at a venue where he triumphed in 2022.
Dellacqua believes he will be among the biggest threats in New York – provided he’s allowed himself to decompress.
"That gold medal that went kind of by the wayside for him (against Novak Djokovic in the final) would certainly be one thing, and then obviously the enormity of playing with Rafael Nadal added a load as well, coming off the back of winning Roland Garros and Wimbledon – it's actually quite extraordinary,” Dellacqua said.
RELATED: Djokovic’s career CV complete with Olympic gold
"I think for Carlos, having an emotional break from feeling like he’s had to be up, up, up, all the time, I think is really important.
"He should be pretty happy with how his season has gone so far, and I suspect that, providing he's had the time mentally and physically to just have a bit of a breather, we'll see some great tennis from him during the US Open swing."
Jessica Pegula
It’s a swing during which Pegula has been soaring.
The American defended her Canadian Open title, becoming the first player since Martina Hingis 24 years ago to go back-to-back in Montreal and Toronto.
Pegula, a top-five mainstay since October 2022, has slipped to No.6, but with the women above her all encountering recent setbacks of varying degrees, Dellacqua believes the US Open could be Pegula’s time to strike.
Should she win her first two rounds, Pegula will have won more matches at Flushing Meadows than at any other major.
"There are a lot of players we know can win majors, and we definitely need to talk about Pegula when we're talking about majors and the US Open and who's going to win,” Dellacqua said.
"What I like is her maturity to know what's good for her... whether that be scheduling, or whatever reason. She never goes into panic-stations; she's very chilled, calm. She has confidence in her game. Knowing what she needs from a coaching perspective. She's got a really good head on her shoulders... she knows what she needs to do to play her best tennis.
"Seeing her come off a win last week… she’s someone who really thrives on these hard courts, the fast, lively conditions, she plays flat. So the conditions really suit her.”
Frances Tiafoe
Conditions at the US Open also suit Tiafoe, who made an electrifying run to the semifinals in 2022, pushing eventual champion Alcaraz to five sets and attracting notable celebrity support along the way.
He returned to the quarterfinals in 2023, where he lost to Ben Shelton.
Since that defeat, Tiafoe has actually lost more matches than he’s won, and has endured a curiously flat 2024 season, falling as low as world No.30 last month.
But he seems re-energised now he’s back on North American hard courts, performing strongly in Washington DC and again this week in Cincinnati.
"He's still top 30 in the world, which will provide him with an opportunity to be seeded at the US Open, so I think that will set him up in those early rounds,” Dellacqua noted.
“If there's a player built for playing at Flushing Meadows, with the energy and the people and the crowds and the noise, it's Frances Tiafoe.
"I probably see Tiafoe as a top-10 player, knowing his ability and strengths, his big serve, his game, his athletic ability. But he's probably not quite sitting where we all think he should be.
“But he would know that, as well, and tennis is a funny sport – it can change very, very quickly. He is capable of having one of those runs at the US Open.”
Bianca Andreescu
Andreescu will be hoping for something similar, five years on from her stunning run to the 2019 title in New York.
She was then an ascendant teenager with seemingly limitless potential – only for chronic injuries, and subsequent mental health struggles, to stall her progress.
Thankfully, the 24-year-old Canadian is competing regularly on tour again in 2024, reaching the third round at both Roland Garros and Wimbledon and enjoying a run to the ‘s-Hertogenbosch final in between.
Like Osaka, Andreescu – currently ranked 166th just a few months into her latest comeback from injury – has received a main-draw wildcard.
"I think it's always good when you're going back to a place where you've had really good success,” said Dellacqua of Andreescu, who has a 12-2 record in the US Open main draw.
"The biggest issue has been injuries, and her body, and being able to string consecutive months on tour together, and also have that form to feel like she is heading back to (her level in) 2019.
RELATED: Andreescu aiming to get into the groove of 2019
"She has been playing some good tennis. I think she's been consistent enough. Will we see her really push the back end of majors, second week? I think that's what we're looking for, when we haven't really seen that since she won that US Open.
"She's still very young as well, and still I think she has a lot of good tennis in her. I think just from following her socials and seeing some of her interviews, I feel like she's in a really good place where she is working and practising hard, she's getting the opportunities, she's being able to compete.
“So I think that's really positive.”