NEW YORK (AP) — OK, sure, maybe it wouldn’t be rational to say there’s no point in actually holding the full U.S. Open and instead just fast-forwarding to the inevitable matchup for the men’s championship between Jannik Sinner — assuming he’s healthy — and Carlos Alcaraz on Sept. 7.

Seems reasonable, though.

“We know,” Novak Djokovic acknowledged, “they’re the dominant force right now.”

When singles action begins Sunday at Flushing Meadows, a change from the usual Monday start, there are cases to be made for various players to make their way to the women’s final. The top three in the rankings — No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka , No. 2 Iga Swiatek and No. 3 Coco Gauff — have won the past three U.S. Open titles, for example. Other past major champions such as Naomi Osaka or Elena Rybakina have perfo

See Full Page