The stage is set at the US Open, as top tennis stars from across the globe have gathered for glory. While most eyes will be focused on the elite list, including Coco Gauff, Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek and others, a few dark horses are expected to make their names known to the tennis community.
Here’s a list of the unseeded players (WTA) who turn the tables in their 1R matches in New York.
Katie Boulter
Katie Boulter has battled through a rollercoaster season, catching fire recently by clinching the Trophée Clarins (WTA 125) title in Paris, fighting back from a set down against Chloé Paquet. Her most eye-catching 2025 moment was at Wimbledon, where she stunned ninth seed Paula Badosa in the first round, her fourth career Top-10 win. But then she slipped past the second round to Solana Sierra. Now she’s up against 27th seed Marta Kostyuk in round one at Flushing Meadows, a tough opener, but she has the potential to mix it with the big hitters.
Barbora Krejcikova
Barbora Krejčíková is the kind of player whose story reads like a tennis fairytale, coming back from injury and reclaiming her place among the elite. She missed the Australian Open and Indian Wells with a persistent back injury but returned midseason to rebuild form, even reaching the fourth round in Cincinnati.
🇨🇦 [22] victoria mboko will face 🇨🇿 barbora krejcikova in round one of the us open!
can she grab another win against a slam champion? pic.twitter.com/wB23VVbUiQ
— victoria mboko updates (@mbokodaily) August 21, 2025
Her breakthrough came in 2024 at Wimbledon, where, against all expectations, she captured the title in a stirring final over Jasmine Paolini. This marked her second Grand Slam singles triumph and a defining career moment.
She is set to open the US Open campaign with a showdown against Victoria Mboko, the rising Canadian who exploded onto the scene by winning Montreal’s WTA 1000 title.
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova is in red-hot form heading into the U.S. Open. Earlier this year, she made a deep run at the Australian Open by beating Donna Vekić before falling in a tightly fought quarterfinal against world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka. She turned heads at Wimbledon with a quarterfinal appearance, defeating Naomi Osaka and navigating a tense win over Sonay Kartal despite a line-calling glitch.
Now at Flushing Meadows, she’s drawn a juicy first-round match againstElise Mertens, the consistent former Top 20 player (seed No. 19).
Alexandra Eala
Alexandra Eala has burst onto the scene in a big way. A recent wildcard entry at the 2025 Miami Open, the 20-year-old from the Philippines smashed through Jelena Ostapenko, Madison Keys and Iga Świątek to reach the semifinals. This historic run vaulted her from world No. 140 into the Top 100 for the first time.
Alexandra Eala💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔
The pain of missing out on 4 championship points cuts deep
But she has so much to be proud of
Within a matter of months, this 20 year old went from being unknown to becoming the pride of Filipino tennis🥹
Keep going 🇵🇭❤️
pic.twitter.com/Ghg29doAeq— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) June 28, 2025
Now in New York, she’s up against Clara Tauson, the No.15 Dane who’s coming off a solid Wimbledon and Canadian Open. Tough draw, yes! But Eala loves being the underdog, and her fearless, flat-hitting game could make this one a match to watch.
Magda Linette
Magda Linette quietly built a career on smart tennis. The Polish is now solidly inside the top 30 (ranked around No. 28 in mid-2025) after capturing her third WTA title in Prague last year and enjoying a strong run at the Miami Open this spring. She most notably shocked No. 3 Coco Gauff in the round of 16 to reach the quarterfinals.
She also opened Washington with a straight-sets win over Danielle Collins to kick things off on a high note. Now, she is matched against Elena Rybakina, the former Wimbledon champion and a big-serve threat in her US Open campaign.
