US Open 2024: Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka are among the women to watch

NEW YORK (AP) — Here are some of the women to watch at the U.S. Open, which starts in New York on Monday (money-line odds are via BetMGM Sportsbook ):

Iga Swiatek

Ranking: 1

Career-Best Ranking: 1

Country: Poland

Age: 23

2024 Record: 50-6

2024 Titles: 5

Career Titles: 22

Grand Slam Titles: 5 — U.S. Open (2022), French Open (2020, 2022, 2023, 2024)

Last 5 U.S. Opens: 2023-Lost in 4th Round, 2022-Won Championship, 2021-4th, 2020-3rd, 2019-2nd

Aces: Was upset in the Paris Olympics semifinals but rebounded to win the bronze medal — and wasn’t quite sure how to feel about that. ... Has been ranked No. 1 for nearly every week since April 2022. ... Is 5-0 in Grand Slam finals after winning her fourth French Open in five years in June. ... Voted WTA Player of the Year in 2023 for second season in a row; Serena Williams was the last to get that honor consecutively, in 2012-15.

She Said It: “There’s like a lot of mixed emotions and still is.”

Odds Are: +350

Aryna Sabalenka

Ranking: 2

Career-Best Ranking: 1

Country: Belarus

Age: 26

2024 Record: 39-11

2024 Titles: 2

Career Titles: 15

Grand Slam Titles: 2 — Australian Open (2023, 2024)

Last 5 U.S. Opens: 2023-Runner-Up, 2022-SF, 2021-SF, 2020-2nd, 2019-2nd

Aces: A semifinalist or better in each of her past three trips to the U.S. Open. ... Arrives in New York after winning a hard-court title at the Cincinnati Open, where she defeated Iga Swiatek in the semifinals. ... Missed Wimbledon because of a shoulder injury and decided to skip the Olympics. ... Won the past two Australian Open titles. ... Listed as the money-line favorite in New York. ... Briefly ranked No. 1 last season.

She Said It: “I mean, definitely Grand Slams — that’s the goal for everyone. And definitely, everyone feels the pressure.”

2024 Paris Olympics:

• What to know about the closing ceremony: A skydiving Tom Cruise and performances from Billie Eilish, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Paris Olympics mainstay Snoop Dogg highlighted the French capital’s au revoir to the Olympics.
• Indelible images: AP photographers pick their favorite images from the Paris Olympics.
• Who won the 2024 Olympics?: See which countries tied for the most gold medals in Paris, and who exceeded expectations.
• When are the next Summer Games? The Olympics will always have Paris. But next up for the Summer Games: Los Angeles 2028. See how the City of Angels is preparing to follow the City of Light.

Odds Are: +250

Coco Gauff

Ranking: 3

Career-Best Ranking: 2

Country: United States

Age: 20

2024 Record: 36-13

2024 Titles: 1

Career Titles: 7

Grand Slam Titles: 1 — U.S. Open (2023)

Last 5 U.S. Opens: 2023-W, 2022-QF, 2021-2nd, 2020-1st, 2019-3rd

Aces: Won her first Grand Slam title at the U.S. Open last year — the first American teenager to triumph there since Serena Williams in 1999. ... Claimed her first major doubles trophy at the French Open in June, teaming with Katerina Siniakova. ... Entered last year’s U.S. Open on a terrific run that included hard-court tiles at Washington and Cincinnati. But has been in a bit of a slump lately, with losses in the fourth round at Wimbledon, third round at the Olympics, second match in Toronto and first match in Cincinnati.

She Said It: “I’ll try to take the positive out of it and do better next time.”

Odds Are: +600

Jasmine Paolini

Ranking: 5

Career-Best Ranking: 5

Country: Italy

Age: 28

2024 Record: 31-14

2024 Titles: 1

Career Titles: 2

Grand Slam Titles: None — Best: Runner-Up, French Open (2024), Wimbledon (2024)

Last 5 U.S. Opens: 2023-1st, 2022-1st, 2021-2nd, 2020-1st, 2019-Did Not Play

Aces: Just a 1-4 career record at the U.S. Open. ... Enjoying a surprising year given her career until now, with appearances in the finals at both the French Open and Wimbledon. ... Her first 16 Grand Slam appearances resulted in losses in the first or second round. She ended that rut by making it to the fourth round at the Australian Open in January. ... Teamed with Sara Errani to win a gold medal for Italy in women’s doubles at the Paris Olympics.

She Said It: “These last months have been crazy for me.”

Odds Are: +1800

Jessica Pegula

Ranking: 6

Career-Best Ranking: 3

Country: United States

Age: 30

2024 Record: 29-10

2024 Titles: 2

Career Titles: 6

Grand Slam Titles: None — Best: Quarterfinals, Australian Open (2021, 2022, 2023), French Open (2022), Wimbledon (2023), U.S. Open (2022)

Last 5 U.S. Opens: 2023-4th, 2022-QF, 2021-3rd, 2020-3rd, 2019-1st

Aces: Is 0-6 in Grand Slam quarterfinals, including a loss at that stage in New York in 2022. ... All six of her career titles came at hard-court tournaments, including at Toronto this month. ... She followed that up by getting to the final at the Cincinnati Open before losing to Aryna Sabalenka. ... Has been ranked No. 1 in doubles.

She Said It: “I always feel comfortable on hard courts.”

Odds Are: +1100

Zheng Qinwen

Ranking: 7

Career-Best Ranking: 7

Country: China

Age: 21

2024 Record: 25-13

2024 Titles: 1

Career Titles: 3

Grand Slam Titles: None — Best: Runner-Up, Australian Open (2024)

Last 5 U.S. Opens: 2023-QF, 2022-3rd, 2021-DNP, 2020-DNP, 2019-DNP

Aces: A rising star who really has made a breakthrough this season, highlighted by a run to her first Grand Slam final at the Australian Open in January and the triumph at the Paris Olympics in August that gave her the biggest title of her young career. ... Victory over Iga Swiatek in the Summer Games semifinals ended the four-time French Open champ’s 25-match unbeaten run at Roland Garros.

She Said It: “After this gold medal, I feel, finally, I can play tennis more relaxed.”

Odds Are: +1600

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Howard Fendrich has been the AP’s tennis writer since 2002. Find his stories here: https://apnews.com/author/howard-fendrich

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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis