Three former No. 1s take the court in WTA matches at the US Open on Sunday. All three of them have reached the final in New York before, although only one has won the ultimate prize.

Maria Sharapova versus Caroline Wozniacki

It is Labor Day weekend in the United States, which means the unofficial end to summer has arrived, and so too has the business end of the US Open.  Maria Sharapova is one player who always means business when she takes the court, and she will need to be at her best when she battles Caroline Wozniacki this Sunday.

A year or so ago, most would not have considered Wozniacki to be a particularly dangerous opponent for Sharapova.   The Dane was primarily a counterpuncher, which played right into the hands of the hard-hitting Russian.  Not surprisingly, their contrasting playing styles led Sharapova to take a convincing 5-2 lead in their rivalry, but securing her sixth victory could prove more difficult than in years past.

Sharapova still brings many of the same tools to the table that she did to earn her five previous victories over Wozniacki.  She remains committed to being aggressive in every facet of her game, and she still possesses more powerful, penetrating groundstrokes than the No. 10 seed.  Wozniacki is not exactly the same player she was from even a year ago, however.  She is still the better mover of the two, and her consistency could potentially frustrate Sharapova.  But Wozniacki has done a better job of trying to find the right balance between defense and offense.  As a result, she should be able to better control her share of the rallies against the Russian instead of constantly reacting.

Wozniacki is arguably in a better place mentally coming into this latest match against Sharapova as well.  She has only secured two wins against the No. 5 seed, but both came on hard courts, including once at the 2010 US Open.  More importantly than that, though, she has had a slightly better summer.  She equaled Sharapova’s semifinal showing in Cincinnati, and she went further in Montréal.  And while both have already dropped a set at this tournament, it is the Dane who has looked a bit more convincing through the first three rounds.  Furthermore, Sharapova continues to showcase her trademark fighting spirit, but lately she has increasingly let unforced errors, double faults, and subsequently frustration seep into her game.  She cannot afford to allow that to happen against someone like Wozniacki, who is more than capable of allowing an opponent to self-destruct if the occasion calls for it.

Hopefully this occasion will not be decided by errors but rather by high-quality tennis.  If both women bring their best, the nod goes to Sharapova, who has the bigger and more imposing game.  But with the adjustments Wozniacki has made to her own game, she should be able to hold her own. 

Jelena Jankovic versus Belinda Bencic

Tennis loves its decorated veterans, but that does not stop it from eagerly looking to the youth movement to see who might be the next rising star.  A top candidate for potential rising star is Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic, who will take on 2008 US Open finalist Jelena Jankovic in an attempt to reach her first major quarterfinal.

Between Eugenie Bouchard skyrocketing to fame and the attention surrounding 15-year-old Catherine Bellis, Bencic has somewhat been lost in the shuffle.  Yet this young woman is certainly one to watch.  She has already enjoyed plenty of success as a junior, winning the Girls’ Singles titles at both Roland Garros and Wimbledon last year, and she has achieved the top junior ranking.  She has made a relatively solid transition to the WTA level, too.  Ranked a career-high No. 58, this 17-year-old has often found her way through the qualifying at a number of tour events, including Charleston, where she went on to reach the semifinals.  Additionally, it was earlier this year in Australia that Bencic made her Grand Slam singles debut, where she reached the second round.  She went one better at Wimbledon, and now she finds herself in the second week of the US Open.

Bencic has definitely been impressive in her burgeoning career, but Jankovic has also been impressive lately.  It was six years ago that the Serb achieved the pinnacle of the rankings, and it was also that same year that she reached the final here in Flushing Meadows.  Things soon began to unravel, however, and Jankovic lost her way.  She has since managed to mount a comeback over the course of the last 12-18 months and now finds herself back in the top 10.  She has continued to play solidly this summer, positing respectable results in Montréal and Cincinnati, and she will be keen to continue her march in New York.

The No. 9 seed certainly has an excellent look at advancing to the last eight.  Bencic does not have big enough weapons at this stage to blow her off the court.  Jankovic has also improved her skills enough in the forecourt to get to the net and rush the young Swiss.  And most importantly, at 29, Jankovic has vastly more experience at this level and on this stage than Bencic.  For Bencic, the biggest hurdle may very well be not allowing the moment to get to her.  Jankovic is not going to hit her off the court, so she is going to have her opportunities.  If Bencic permits nerves to creep into her game, however, it is going to be a long (or short, rather) day at the office.

A lengthy affair filled with drama would be pleasing to the fans, but whether or not that transpires will ultimately depend on Bencic.  Jankovic has been here before, and her experience and consistency are likely to see her through.  It is up to Bencic to plant seeds of doubt in the Serb’s mind if she hopes to reach her first major quarterfinal.