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US Open 2017: Players under the most pressure on the women’s draw

By Maxwell Ogden

SINGAPORE - OCTOBER 25: Simona Halep (L) of Romania congratulates Angelique Kerber of Germany after their singles match during day 3 of the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore at Singapore Sports Hub on October 25, 2016 in Singapore. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
SINGAPORE - OCTOBER 25: Simona Halep (L) of Romania congratulates Angelique Kerber of Germany after their singles match during day 3 of the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore at Singapore Sports Hub on October 25, 2016 in Singapore. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images) /
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LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 15: Garbine Muguruza of Spain celebrates victory with the trophy after the Ladies Singles final against Venus Williams of The United States on day twelve of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club at Wimbledon on July 15, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 15: Garbine Muguruza of Spain celebrates victory with the trophy after the Ladies Singles final against Venus Williams of The United States on day twelve of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club at Wimbledon on July 15, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images) /

5. Garbiñe Muguruza, Spain

Garbiñe Muguruza may be the fastest rising star on the WTA Tour. The 23-year-old has made the leap to No. 4 on the world rankings with a stretch of success that has justifiably earned her the label of a favorite to win the 2017 US Open.

Muguruza is already halfway to the career Grand Slam, but sustained success has been tough to come by for WTA stars—and that elevates the pressure by a significant measure.

Muguruza won her first career Grand Slam at the French Open in 2016, and secured a second title at Wimbledon in 2017. That gives her tremendous momentum heading into an event that could push Muguruza into the ranks of the world’s sustainably elite.

With a chance to gain even more momentum before the return of Serena Williams, Muguruza must capitalize on this opportunity to further boost her confidence.

The reason for the pressure is quite simple. For as much success as she’s experienced elsewhere, Muguruza has never made it past the second round of the US Open—with two first and two second-round exits thus far.

After reaching the Quarterfinals at the 2017 Australian Open, however, Muguruza may have enough hard court confidence to buck the trend.

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