In the previews of the 2017 Us Open it was often pointed out that there were numerous players in the running for the World No. 1 ranking with the results from Flushing Meadows. No less than eight players started the tournament with at least some chance of getting to the top of the world. However, Simona Halep and Johanna Konta are both out of the tournament following Monday. Now only six players can win their way into the top spot on tour.
Garbine Muguruza most hopeful for No. 1
Technically, Halep appears to still have a chance. However, with her elimination, the chances are very remote.
The players left in the draw that could be No. 1 when the rankings update in two weeks are Garbine Muguruza, Elina Svitolina, Karolina Pliskova, Caroline Wozniacki, Svetlana Kuznetsova, and Venus Williams. Muguruza has to be considered the player with the best chance based on her form and the fact that she's already into the second round, unlike some players listed above who still have to win their first-round matches. In order for Halep to be No. 1 a lot would need to happen, including the Spaniard not lasting very much longer in the women's singles draw. Additionally, none of the players listed above could come away with the title.
Live rankings are handy when it comes to figuring out who has the best chance.
The real rankings are updated post-tournament, but live rankings update day to day. Live rankings drop the points that a player had earned in the previous year at the start of the tournament as opposed to at the end. Currently, Halep is the No. 1 on live rankings because those rankings adjust off Pliskova's 1200 points for making the final last season.
Live-tennis.eu is one site that updates live rankings day to day and they show Halep as the number one from that point of view. Importantly, live rankings aren't official but they do show who is where in the current race.
Svitolina has a good chance for No. 1
It is mainly Muguruza and Svitolina that currently have the best chance of getting to No.
1. Svitolina has been very consistent in the regular tour events although her Grand Slam results still lack a major run. She's still just 22 years old and time is definitely on her side. But Wozniacki looks very dangerous in the draw and she's already into the round of 64 following a win on Monday. Pliskova's form is pretty lukewarm right now, but she did do well at the US Open last year.
Pliskova and Svitolina are both on the order of play for Tuesday at Flushing Meadows. Pliskova will open Arthur Ashe Stadium at 11am ET while Svitolina will open Louis Armstrong Stadium at the same time. Svitolina is facing a threat in the first round as she faces Katerina Siniakova. The Czech player is a recent winner on tour having won at Bastad several weeks ago. She did, however, drop in form during the hard-court events in America (Bastad was a clay-court tournament).
