After week one, the summary of key players and events is as follows:
Sharapova: She came to play. No matter what some believe about her match-up vs. Serena, she still comes to play, thinking she can win.
Halep: some were all on Halep bandwagon for most of the year; she still managed to do her job at Wimbledon, but she's not going to be this sweeping force some fantasize her to be. She's part of a strong tour, and that is also proven by the ability of others to defeat her at any time. Frankly, she was dismantled at this USO.
Townsend: Good that she's back in some sort of form; typical of the USTA and specifically Patrick McEnroe, she was never treated with the kind of aggressive training/foundation that their "County Club" favorites" (e.g. Riske) were/are. She's better off finding and keeping a solid team having nothing to do with the Country Club wing of the USTA.
Kerber: Still a mystery about her recent majors performances; she's a more than solid, clearly talented player who can defeat anyone on the biggest stages. She's a focused player, yet something of late is not clicking, and I'm not sure what that it. I can only hope she returns to form, as she's a great competitor and a joy to watch.
Kvitová: No shock here; she's been a consistently weak performer at the USO for a very long time, and this TTW member-named "bug eyed princess" was never one to be considered a contender.
Venus: From her behavior after losing in Round 2, it appears she has no honest intention of retiring, no matter how much the competition has become a mountain she cannot climb anymore.
Wozniacki: By no means was she soundly defeated--it was more about her physical issues than anything else. The game she put together to win her lone major still rests in her mind, but the physical side seems to be deflating the chances of said game to return. One can tel she still enjoys playing, but at the same time, I would not raise an eyebrow if she announced her retirement sometime soon.
No clear read on who will end up winning the title. That's how hyper-competitive the WTA is.