ESPN 2008 US Open

The volatility of this season on the WTA Tour has been fortified with each passing month. While Ana Ivanovic is, again, the No. 1-ranked player in the land, her post-French Open results have been disconcerting.

The Williams sisters played a memorable Wimbledon title match but bowed out early in Beijing. So who will step it up? Our experts prognosticate.

Wimbledon women's predictions
	Bonnie D. Ford ESPN.com tennis writer	Greg Garber ESPN.com tennis writer	Sandra Harwitt Florida-based tennis writer	Ravi Ubha London-based tennis writer	Matt Wilansky ESPN.com tennis editor
Early Exit	Svetlana Kuznetsova is rusty from inaction. Plus, when you let too many finals slip away, sooner or later you stop getting there.	Serena Williams is 0-for-6 in Grand Slams since Aussie '07 and after teasing us with a run at Wimbledon, she has faded.	A thumb injury is likely to take a physical as well as mental toll on Ana Ivanovic. She'll have to wait to add another Grand Slam trophy.	It sounded as if Elena Dementieva didn't have much to play for after claiming gold in Beijing, so a letdown beckons.	Venus Williams last won the U.S. Open in 2001, the same year Rafael Nadal was ranked No. 818. A deep run in Flushing following a Wimbledon title seems implausible
Sleeper	Former No. 1 Amelie Mauresmo showed signs of life by making the Cincinnati semis. When healthy, she's a surefire quarterfinalist in Queens.	Momentum is on Nadia Petrova's side after she halted a prolonged 2008 slump and won her first tournament of the year in Cincinnati	French teen Alize Cornet is a talent and already in the top 20. She's not afraid of the competition and has a good game and good attitude on court.	The battling Slovak teen Dominika Cibulkova recently reached her first Tier I final and is ranked a career-best 19th.	Ascending Caroline Wozniacki has put together a galvanizing season, including a maiden title at Stockholm earlier this month.
Winner	She's capable of filling the vacuum on the women's side and completing a brother-sister U.S. Open title combo. New York crowds will embrace Dinara Safina's anger management issues.	Coming into the U.S. Open, Dinara Safina is the most consistent player on the women's side, winning 15 of her past 16 matches.	Venus Williams might have slipped at the Olympics, but she would like to win back-to-back Wimbledon and U.S. Open titles for the third time.	She's on a roll, and just as important, most of Dinara Safina's major rivals are either injured or returning from injuries.	She's not going to beat anyone into submission but Elena Dementieva has the goods -- and the gold -- to win the war of attrition.