ESPN Tennis

Is Serena Williams destined to win her third major of the year? On one hand, only the grueling red clay of Roland Garros has foiled her monopoly on the Slams. On the other hand, less-than-desirable post-Wimbledon results probably have the tennis world shaking its collective head.

Questions abound surrounding the women's game: Can Maria Sharapova survive a frenzy of double faults for two weeks? Will world No. 1 Dinara Safina overcome her mental breakdowns? And then there's Kim Clijsters. Her precipitous rise certainly will infuse a little fear into whoever gets the daunting task of facing her. But is she ready to go all the way?

Our pundits share their thoughts.

U.S. Open women's predictions

	Bonnie D. Ford ESPN.com tennis writer	Greg Garber ESPN.com tennis writer	Sandra Harwitt Florida-based tennis writer
Early Exit	An ambitious schedule may have finally caught up with classy Danish player Caroline Wozniacki after she propelled herself into the top 10.	Danish teen Caroline Wozniacki has played a ton of matches this year and might be hitting the wall.	Dinara Safina couldn't emotionally cope with another Grand Slam final loss, and she's just not being fueled emotionally by her No. 1 status.
Sleeper	It's a no-brainer to pick Kim Clijsters to go deep based on her play so far. She'll be able to swing away with the crowd in her pocket.	Agnieszka Radwanska reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon and has made two consecutive fourth-round appearances in New York.	Kim Clijsters retired for marriage and motherhood, then discovered she missed the game. She is mounting an impressive comeback.
Winner	Serena Williams has to be favored to crank it up a notch again and win her third Slam title of 2009.	Lately, the U.S. Open has a way of delivering Russian winners (see Kuznetsova and Sharapova), so maybe it's Elena Dementieva's time.	Picking the women's champion is as easy as picking the winning lottery numbers. Elena Dementieva deserves to finally win a Slam.

	Kamakshi Tandon Toronto-based tennis writer	Ravi Ubha London-based tennis writer	Matt Wilansky ESPN.com tennis editor
Early Exit	The Slam has been won, so she's done. After winning the French Open, Svetlana Kuznetsova hasn't looked hungry for more.	It took Svetlana Kuznetsova five years to collect a second Grand Slam title. By the looks of it, she hasn't regained focus.	What a tale of two seasons it's been for Vera Zvonareva. Unfortunately, her past few months have been besmirched by uninspired results.
Sleeper	Comeback kids Kim Clijsters and Maria Sharapova are the no-brainer choices here. Clijsters gets the nod because she has showed better tennis than Sharapova.	Maria Sharapova is a tremendous competitor and won't be under much pressure. If she avoids Serena Williams, who knows how far she'll go.	Kim Clijsters' hasty renaissance back into the tennis world likely has all the top-tier players hoping they don't draw her early on.
Winner	Elena Dementieva has been a rock in the warm-ups. Now if only she can pretend the U.S. Open is the Olympics or some midseason Premier event.	Lacking motivation at a prep tournament in Toronto won't be a problem for Serena Williams in New York. Pity the field.	Elena Dementieva can actually serve? Oh, it's true. And with that plus her penetrating groundies, a U.S Open title seems only fitting.