WHILE men’s tennis continues to be dominated by the big three of Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic, the women’s game is much more difficult to predict with the last seven grand slams having all been won by different players, four of them by first-time major winners.

World No 1 Simona Halep will be many people’s favourite to take the title two weeks today, having had a breakthrough in 2018, winning her first Grand Slam at Roland Garros and claiming the top spot in the rankings.

But it is Serena Williams who is likely to be her biggest threat, although six months into her competitive comeback following the birth of her daughter, she is yet to find her best form.

The 36-year-old reached the Wimbledon final in just her fourth tournament back but since then, she has failed to continue that upward trajectory. The heaviest defeat of her career came just a few weeks ago when she lost 6-1, 6-0 to Britain’s Jo Konta in San Jose before following that up with a second-round defeat to Petra Kvitova in Cincinnati, although there was significant improvement when facing the Czech world No 5.

Williams’ record at Flushing Meadows is unparalleled. It was where she won her first major title in 1999, and since then, has notched up a further five US Open titles. Seeded 17 this year having been elevated from her world ranking of 26, the American has been handed a relatively kind early draw, with her first major test expected to come in the shape of her sister, Venus, in the last 32.

Williams has talked in recent weeks of the personal issues that have affected her play - her struggle with combining motherhood and an elite tennis career, as well as finding out immediately prior to the Konta match that the man who murdered her sister had been released from prison - but if her head is in the right place, she will be a strong candidate for the title, says six-time US Open champion Chris Evert.

“She has a lot of confidence on that court and she has a lot of confidence playing in front of the US crowd,” said Evert. “She needs to put in a little bit more training, get a little bit quicker around the court and get a few good matches under her belt. If she gets into the second week of the US Open, she's going to be a favourite, for sure.

“I've seen her progress this summer and I hear her say that she can feel it and taste it and she's close and she needs to keep working harder - and you know she's working harder. She's got to be one of the top three favourites for me.”

All going well for Williams, she will met top seed Halep in the last 16 and Evert expects that the Romanian, and defending champion Sloane Stephens, are likely to provide the 23-time grand slam winner with the biggest tests.

“She will be a threat to Serena,” Evert said of Halep. "She's so solid and can defuse a lot of Serena's balls. And she's confident. She gets herself out of holes. Because she can run all day and can still play offensive tennis when she needs to, I think definitely she's going to be a threat to Serena.

“And I think Sloane [Stephens] is playing unbelievable - she's playing the same form that she played last year's US Open. She’s a more confident player, which I think is going to help her. The only thing that will be against Sloane is the pressure of having to defend, and that always remains to be seen how the player reacts to that.

“Sloane is a little bit of a nervous player, but I think that's one area that she's improved tremendously. If she can get the crowd on her side and be inspired, I think she can win this tournament. But it all depends on Sloane.”