NEW YORK, Aug 23 (Reuters) – American Coco Gauff begins defending her U.S. Open title at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Monday, headlining a deep women’s field that includes world number one Iga Swiatek and last year’s runner-up Aryna Sabalenka.

Gauff will play France’s Varvara Gracheva in the opening round and will hope to put a string of frustrating performances – including early exits in Toronto and Cincinnati – behind her and recapture the magic of her run to her first major title.

“I feel like it was a blessing in disguise that I lost so early (in Cincinnati) because I was actually able to train, which I hadn’t been able to do before,” said Gauff, who competed in the Paris Games.

“I get the best results when I come out of a training block. I’ve been able to train for a good week and a half and obviously have a few more days left to do so.”

She has reached at least the semifinals of the tournament in the last three years and has learned from the tough defeats in New York.

“These tough defeats definitely motivated me a lot to work hard and improve things that haven’t worked in previous years,” Sabalenka said.

After defending her title in Australia, Sabalenka went through a difficult period in the middle of the year when she suffered a back injury and had to miss Wimbledon due to a shoulder injury.

However, she arrived in New York confident and fit, having skipped the Olympics to focus on her health and winning the preparatory tournament in Cincinnati.

“I was really happy with my level of play. It wasn’t like I had a heavy weight lifted off my shoulders. It was just a small, happy moment before the US Open,” said Sabalenka, who will conclude her program at Louis Armstrong Stadium on Monday evening against Australian qualifier Priscilla Hon.

Poland’s Swiatek will be hoping to add another title to a memorable year after winning her fifth major title at the French Open and also winning in Qatar, Indian Wells, Madrid and Rome.

She won the bronze medal at the Paris Games and admitted that the transition from the clay courts of Roland Garros to the hard courts of North America required some adjustment, as she lost to Sabalenka in the semifinals in Cincinnati.

“It’s been a really intense season and it’s not been easy after the Olympics, so I feel best when I just focus on training and performing on the court,” the 2022 winner told reporters.

“I’ll just try to keep that mindset and attitude.”

She opens her campaign on Tuesday at Ashe against lucky loser Kamilla Rakhimova.

New competitors lurk around every corner in New York as a grueling year has put the title in jeopardy for those hoping to win their first major title.

Italy’s Jasmine Paolini made a name for herself as a runner-up at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, while Chinese Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen is ready to make an impression after reaching her first major final in Australia.

“I don’t want to slack off again. I want to improve myself mentally again,” said Zheng. “If I can do that, I believe I will really break through a wall that I have built for myself.”

The US Open begins on Monday.

Sign up Here.

Our standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.opens new tab