By Amy Tennery
NEW YORK (Reuters) - American Coco Gauff begins her U.S. Open title defence on Arthur Ashe Stadium on Monday, headlining a wide open women's field that includes world number one Iga Swiatek and last year's runner-up Aryna Sabalenka.
Gauff plays France's Varvara Gracheva in the opening round and hopes to put a series of frustrating performances behind her - including early exits from Toronto and Cincinnati - to recapture the magic of her run to a maiden major title.
"I feel like it was a blessing in disguise I lost so early (in Cincinnati), because I was able to actually train, which I hadn't been able to," said Gauff, who competed in the Paris Games.
"I do my best results when I come off a training block. I was able to train for a good week and a half and obviously still have a couple more days to do that."
Gauff could meet Sabalenka in the semi-finals, with the Belarusian hungry for the trophy after coming close but never quite getting the title within her grasp.
She reached at least the semi-final stage of the tournament over the last three years and has learned lessons from tough defeats in New York.
"Those tough losses definitely motivated me a lot to hard work and to improve things which didn't work in the previous years," said Sabalenka.
After retaining her title in Australia, Sabalenka endured a rough mid-year stretch as she suffered a back injury and skipped Wimbledon with a shoulder injury.
She arrived in New York confident and fit, however, after skipping the Olympics to focus on her health and winning the Cincinnati tune-up tournament.
"I was really happy with the level I played. It's not like it's weight out of my shoulder. It just little, like, happy moment before going to the U.S. Open," said Sabalenka, who closes out Monday night's programme on Louis Armstrong Stadium against Australian qualifier Priscilla Hon.
Poland's Swiatek hopes to add another title to a memorable year, after she picked up her fifth major at the French Open and won in Qatar, Indian Wells, Madrid and Rome, as well.
She picked up bronze at the Paris Games and admitted that it has taken some adjustment going from the clay courts of Roland Garros to the hard courts of North America, as she lost to Sabalenka in the Cincinnati semi-final.
"It's been a really intense season, and after the Olympics, it hasn't been kind of, you know, easy. So I feel the best when I'm just focused on practicing and grinding on the court," the 2022 winner told reporters.
"I'm just going to try to keep that mindset and that attitude."
She opens her campaign against lucky loser Kamilla Rakhimova on Tuesday on Ashe.
Contenders lurk around every corner in New York, as a gruelling year has left the title vulnerable for those hoping to capture a maiden major title.
Italian Jasmine Paolini made a name for herself as a runner-up at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, while China's Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen is ready to make an impact after reaching her first major final in Australia.
"I don't want to let myself slip again. I really want to improve one more time in my mental side," said Zheng. "If I'm able to do that, I think I will really break through some wall that I have for myself."
The U.S. Open begins on Monday.
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York; Editing by Josie Kao)
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