Andreescu, Barty, Sabalenka in mix

NEW YORK» Ash Barty was on the couch, not the court. Bianca Andreescu wasn’t at last year’s U.S. Open, either, and Aryna Sabalenka wasn’t in it for long.

All three could be among the top contenders for the women’s singles title, trying to take the title from defending champion Naomi Osaka when play begins Monday at the year’s final Grand Slam tournament.

Andreescu is the only one of the three who has enjoyed significant success at Flushing Meadows, beating Serena Williams for the 2019 championship in her U.S. Open debut at age 19. (Williams, who owns 23 major titles, is absent this time as she recovers from a torn right hamstring.)

But it seems only a matter of time for Barty and Sabalenka, the top two seeds ahead of No. 3 Osaka.

The top-ranked Barty is rolling into her return to New York, winning her second major title at Wimbledon and adding a hardcourt title at Cincinnati in her last event.

“It feels like a long time since I’ve been back at New York,” the Australian said. “This week is going to be exciting. It’s got fans. That’s going to bring a lot of energy to this tournament. This is a tournament that thrives with the energy. I can’t wait to get started.”

She opted not to play the U.S. Open because she did not leave Australia during the coronavirus pandemic last year and said she didn’t even watch the tournament because of the time difference.

Barty mostly relaxed at home before resuming her training in October.

Now she is deep into a monthslong road trip, having not returned to Australia since coming to the U.S. for the Miami hard-court event in March, where she beat Sabalenka and Andreescu for one of her five titles this season.

“I think that she’s had an amazing year. It’s really cool to see someone play so consistently,” Osaka said.

“I would say she seems really determined and really focused. I know that she hasn’t gone home since Australia, so that’s a lot of traveling for her,” said Osaka.

Like Barty, Sabalenka has never been past the fourth round in New York. She was knocked out in the second round last year, as the 23-year-old from Belarus battled confidence problems in the biggest tournaments.

But talks with her sports psychologist have helped. She had her best result in a major tournament by reaching the semifinals at Wimbledon before being edged by Karolina Pliskova.