Pundits consider Romanian Simona Halep to be Serena Williams’ biggest threat at this year’s US Open tournament that starts on Monday, August 31. Halep is the tournament's second seed while six-times US Open winner Williams is the top seed, as she is also the leader of the WTA ranking of the best tennis players in the world.

Although Halep didn’t make it very far in this year’s Grand Slam tournaments, as she was eliminated in the quarter finals of the Australian Open, the second round of the French Open at Roland Garros, and the first round of Wimbledon, she is still seen as one of the possible winners of this tournament. Halep, who currently ranks second in the WTA ranking, is “very hungry for her first major,” Wtatennis.com reports.

“Though she admittedly didn't have her best results on clay and grass this year, no one has done more winning on hardcourts in 2015 than the World No.2 - she's won more matches on hardcourts than anyone on the tour with 32, nobody else even at 30 yet, and she's tied with Williams for most WTA titles on hard this year with three (Shenzhen in January, Dubai in February, Indian Wells in March).”

This August, Simona Halep reached two finals in just two weeks. At Toronto, Halep played the final against Swiss tennis player Belinda Bencic. She retired in the third set, however, thus losing the match. The following week, she also reached the final of the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati. She lost the match to WTA number one Serena Williams.

Halep did beat Williams once, at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore, in 2014. Serena has six victories over the Romanian.

The US Open takes place between August 31 and September 13 in the Flushing Meadows, the US. The Grand Slam has total prize money of over USD 20 million. Halep will meet New Zealand’s Marina Erakovic in the first round of the tournament. The two have never met before.

“How far will Simona Halep go in the US Open?,” WTA asks. You can cast your vote here.

Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com