The return of Simona Halep (32 years old, 1,130 WTA) to the women’s circuit, in March 2024, rekindled the hopes that we will see her on the world’s great arenas this year. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen that way. And the US Open 2024, which will start on Monday, will also take place without the former WTA number 1.
Simona Halep. PHOTO: The Truth Archive
Instead, we have Gabriela Ruse (123 WTA) in the last round of the qualifications, where she will meet Alexandra Eala (148 WTA), the stake being a place on the main draw. There are already two Romanians here, and they have found out their opponents in the first round, according to Agerpres.
Jaqueline Cristian will face the Russian Daria Kasatkina, the 12th favorite, according to the draw made on Thursday. Kasatkina (27 years, 12 WTA) won both duels with the Romanian (26 years, 68 WTA), in 2022, when Jaqueline abandoned in the second round in Doha, after winning the first set 6-2 and the score was 2-2 in the second act, and this year, in the quarters in Charleston, with 6-7 (4/7), 6-2, 6-3.
Jaqueline Cristian did not participate in last year’s edition of the New York tournament, being injured.
Ana Bogdan (31 years old, 103 WTA) will meet in the first round the Dutch Arantxa Rus (33 years old, 95 WTA), whom she defeated in all four previous duels. The most recent one took place this year, in Cluj-Napoca, in the quarters, score 3-6, 7-6 (8/6), 7-6 (7/5).
Ana Bogdan lost in the first round in New York at last year’s edition, she failed to pass the second round in Flushing Meadows so far.
The British player of Romanian origin Emma Răducanu (71 WTA), champion at the US Open in 2021, will meet the American Sofia Kenin (55 WTA) in the first round. This will be their first match.
The Canadian player of Romanian origin Bianca Andreescu (169 WTA), who won the trophy at Flushing Meadows in 2019, will have a very difficult match in the first round, against the Italian Jasmine Paolini, world number five.
