US Open draw: Rising stars Mboko and Eala face tough early competition

The names are on the board, the paths are set. From the top seeds to the hopeful challengers, here’s how the year’s final Grand Slam is shaping up.

There will be no shortage of high-profile American women at this US Open.

Thursday’s draw in New York revealed that half of the projected quarterfinalists -- No. 3 seed Coco Gauff, No. 4 Jessica Pegula, No. 6 Madison Keys and No. 8 Amanda Anisimova -- will be playing a home game in the season’s last Grand Slam.

If the seeds hold, Gauff and Keys -- two of the three major champions already crowned this year -- would meet in a sizzling quarterfinal.

But the spotlight won’t fall only on the Americans.

Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka was drawn into the same quarter as No. 7 Jasmine Paolini, setting up a potential showdown, while Iga Swiatek -- fresh off her Cincinnati title -- could see a rematch of the Wimbledon final against Anisimova.

We break down the draw:

First quarter

Beyond these top seeds, this section includes some of the hottest players this summer. No. 9 Elena Rybakina just reached the semifinals at the Cincinnati Open, losing to eventual champion Iga Swiatek in a 7-5, 6-3 thriller. No. 14 Clara Tauson, a semifinalist in Montreal, meets ascendant Filipina Alexandra Eala in a first-round match. No. 24 Veronika Kudermetova, who reached the final four in Cincinnati, is on a collision course for a third-round meeting with Rybakina. No. 31 Leylah captured the title at the Mubadala Citi DC Open and could meet Sabalenka in the third round.

Projected quarterfinal: No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka vs. No. 7 Jasmine Paolini

Two former junior standouts have a date in the US Open first round ✨ pic.twitter.com/9zIyMAFGQo — US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 21, 2025

Second quarter

Less than a month ago, 18-year-old Canadian Victoria Mboko was No. 85 in the PIF WTA Rankings. But after winning each of her seven matches at the Canadian Open, she rocketed into the Top 25 -- and secured seeding at the US Open. She’s No. 22, but that didn’t shield her from a dangerous path. She plays two-time Grand Slam champion Barbora Krejcikova in the first round and could see No. 10 Emma Navarro in the third. In a first-round match, No. 5 Andreeva draws Alycia Parks who just upset Navarro to reach the quarterfinals in Monterrey, Mexico.

Projected quarterfinal: No. 4 Jessica Pegula vs. No. 5 Mirra Andreeva

Third quarter

Two of the three leading active Grand Slam champions reside in this section. Forty-five-year-old wild card Venus Williams has a first-round match against No. 11 Karolina Muchova. When she won her semifinal match over Elina Svitolina in Montreal, Osaka was thrilled that she’d be seeded in New York, where she won two of her four majors. She’ll meet Greet Minnen in a first-round match. Playing the last Grand Slam of her career, wild card Caroline Garcia meets Kamilla Rakhimova.

Projected quarterfinal: No. 3 Coco Gauff vs. No. 6 Madison Keys

Fourth quarter

After winning the singles title in Cincinnati, Swiatek flew to New York and, with less than a 12-hour turnaround, advanced with Casper Ruud to the mixed doubles semifinals on Tuesday. After beating top-seeded Jessica Pegula and Jack Draper in the final four, Swiatek and Ruud fell in the final to Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori. Swiatek’s path in singles seems less daunting. After a first-round match against Emiliana Arango, she could meet two wild cards -- Valerie Glozman in the second round and, in the third, Clervie Ngounoue. Dangerous floaters in this sector: Danielle Collins, Maria Sakkari and Maya Joint.

Projected quarterfinal: No. 2 Iga Swiatek vs. No. 8 Amanda Anisimova

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