ED MCGROGAN: While I think Gauff, a Grand Slam champion in her teens, is a safer bet than Pegula, who is still searching for her first major, let me make the case for the 30-year-old. For one, she’ll be highly motivated to get off to a good start, considering some dismal early results in 2024. She didn’t reach a final until June, and totaled just four wins at the Australian Open, Indian Wells and Miami—hard-court tournaments the US Open runner-up can thrive at. Purely in terms of rankings, Pegula can make some quick and sizable gains.
Gauff, meanwhile, could experience what Pegula did at the start of last season: figuring out how to mesh with a new coaching team. It took a while for the veteran to do so (and her problems were compounded by injuries), but she took off once she did.
