US Open 2025: 5 dark horses to win the women's singles title ft. Emma Raducanu, Naomi Osaka

The final Grand Slam of the year, the 2025 US Open, gets underway in Flushing Meadows on August 24. Aryna Sabalenka will compete against 127 other top WTA players to defend her women's singles crown.

Defending champion Sabalenka heads the field and enters under pressure after a turbulent season. However, her hard-court power remains undeniable. Second seed Iga Swiatek, fresh from Wimbledon and Cincinnati wins, looms as a serious threat.

Third seed Coco Gauff, despite recent struggles with her serve, carries home-court advantage and a coaching shake-up, aiming to spark a resurgence. Fourth seed Jessica Pegula, last year’s runner-up, returns eager to go one step further, while sixth seed Madison Keys, fresh from her breakthrough Australian Open title, brings confidence to the big stage.

With the draw out, early-round fireworks loom, seeded stars could meet rising threats from the get-go. Here’s where the dark horses come in. Let’s take a closer look at five under-the-radar threats who could surprise us all.

#5 Emma Raducanu

Emma Raducanu at the 2025 US Open - Source: Getty

Emma Raducanu enters the New York Major with renewed form. The former US Open champion struggled early this year but found her groove on hard courts with a strong run in Miami and a confidence-boosting semi-final in Washington.

Her record stands at 24-17 for the season, and she has climbed back into the top-35 rankings. In the draw, she lands in the top half. She opens against a qualifier. A fourth-round showdown with Elena Rybakina could follow, with a potential quarter-final clash against defending champion Aryna Sabalenka on the horizon.

Raducanu has not gone past the fourth round in a Slam since her epic victory in 2021. But her form this summer suggests this might be the year she finally breaks through again.

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#4 Naomi Osaka

Naomi Osaka at the 2025 US Open - Source: Getty

Naomi Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam champion, arrives in New York looking to regain her magic. She's battled setbacks, including a mental-health hiatus, maternity leave, and injuries, but she's reviving her game this season.

Osaka reached the Auckland final early in the year before retiring with an injury, then resurrected her form to claim a WTA 125 title in Saint-Malo and reach the Canadian Open final.

Her record stands at 27-12, and she's climbed back inside the top 25. Drawn in the bottom half, she opens against Greet Minnen. A fourth-round showdown with Coco Gauff looms, followed by a possible quarter-final with Madison Keys and a potential semi with Iga Swiatek.

She hasn’t lifted a Grand Slam since 2021, but her growing form and sheer pedigree make her one of the most dangerous outsiders. If she stays healthy, Osaka's experience and power could carry her back to the big stage.

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#3 Leylah Fernandez

Leylah Fernandez at the Cincinnati Open 2025 - Source: Getty

Leylah Fernandez is rising fast at just 22 years old. The former US Open finalist has never fully kicked on, but that could change in the coming days. She captured her biggest career title this summer by winning the WTA 500 in Washington, knocking out top seeds Jessica Pegula and Elena Rybakina along the way.

Her season record stands at 21-19, with four career titles, all on hard courts. In the US Open draw, she's in the top half and opens against a qualifier. A tricky second round could pit her against Marie Bouzkova, and the third round offers a massive test as she may meet the defending champion, Aryna Sabalenka.

Beating Sabalenka would blow this wide open. Fernandez has the fire and the form. This could finally be the year she breaks back into Slam glory.

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#2 Belinda Bencic

Belinda Bencic at the Cincinnati Open 2025 - Source: Getty

Belinda Bencic is working towards one of tennis's most inspiring comebacks. Her form makes her a serious contender in the US Open’s top half. The two-time quarter-finalist and one-time semi-finalist at Flushing Meadows excels on hard courts.

After a maternity break, she returned with a bang, claiming the Abu Dhabi WTA 500 title in February. She backed it up with a deep run at Wimbledon, reaching her first Slam semi in six years. Now ranked around World No. 18, she owns a strong 27-13 season record.

In New York, she faces a qualifier in round one, potentially draws Jessica Pegula in round four, Mirra Andreeva in the quarterfinals, and defending champion Aryna Sabalenka in the semis. Bencic’s blend of experience, resilience, and current form gives her every chance to go deep.

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#1 Victoria Mboko

Victoria Mboko with the National Bank Open trophy - Source: Getty

Victoria Mboko has burst onto the scene with record-setting force. She enters the US Open with a stellar 53-9 season record and a meteoric rise to world No. 24, thanks to her stunning breakthrough at her home WTA 1000 event in Montreal.

At just 18, she captured her first WTA title by defeating four former Grand Slam champions, including Naomi Osaka, Coco Gauff, Elena Rybakina, and Sofia Kenin.

Now seeded in the US Open's top half, she opens against former Wimbledon winner Barbora Krejcikova. If she navigates that, she could face Emma Navarro in the third round, Mirra Andreeva in the fourth, Jessica Pegula in the quarterfinals, and possibly Aryna Sabalenka in the semi-finals, a daunting path.

But Mboko has already proved she belongs at this level. Composed, fearless, and rising fast, she's a dark horse who could rewrite expectations in New York.