One of the most prestigious Grand Slam tournaments is taking place in New York City during a time where, several months ago, it was uncertain. Many of the top players from both, the men’s and women’s draw, are not playing. 

While several fan favorites such as Roger Federer, Rafeal Nadal, Ashley Barty, and Simona Halep are not making an appearance at the tournament, there are several familiar faces and new talent on the scene. 

Here’s an update on the top players in the tournament:

Novak Djokovic is ranked No. 1 in the world and was seeded number one in the tournament. In the 2020 season, he has been undefeated holding onto a 24-0 record while looking for his 18th Grand Slam Championship. Djokovic continued this win streak by taking care of business in his next two matches before being disqualified from the tournament after hitting a ball that hit an umpire. 

Naomi Osaka, a former US Open champion, ranked No. 8 in the world and seeded 4 in the tournament, looks for another US Open Slam win. Cruising through the draw, her toughest match so far has been against Marta Kostyuk from Ukraine. Where Kostyuk got a set off of the Grand Slam champion. Osaka makes her way into the quarterfinals where she is steps away from winning the tournament again. 

Dominic Thiem, a fan favorite from Austria, is playing well and has been cruising through his side of the draw. Thiem seems to be taking advantage that the veterans are not playing the tournament as he seeks out his first grand slam win. Thiem would be the first Austrian to win the US Open Grand Slam. 

Daniil Medvedev from Russia is seeking his first Grand Slam. After losing in the finals of the tournament last year, he looks to come out on the winning side this time. Medvedev is looking like a good contender for making it to the finals, as he has not dropped a set in the tournament thus far. With more time to rest from not spending a lot of extra time on the court, Medvedev is in good shape to make it all the way. 

Jennifer Brady is on her way to the top. As one of the Americans in the tournament, the former UCLA player is breaking through with her performance so far in the tournament. Brady is a top American ranked No. 41 and seeded 23 in the tournament where she has beaten top-ranked players such as Angelique Kerber from Germany and Caroline Garcia from France. Not having dropped a set, Brady looks good as she has a spot in the semifinals. She looks to keep this momentum going for as long as she can and hopefully a spot in the finals. 

The US Open is delivering its promise to fans by allowing the best of the best to compete despite being in unprecedented times. The top-ranked players in the tournament are making the best of the situation and are seeking to get more wins before the end of the year. 

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@DushEmily