New York: Serena Williams, who is aiming for a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam title at this year’s US Open, was handed a difficult path to the final after being drawn Thursday in the same quarter as older sister Venus and World No.1 Simona Halep.
Serena, a six-time champion at the Flushing Meadows here, who is seeded 17th, will start her campaign against Polish World No.60 Magda Linette and could face Venus in the third round before a possible fourth-round showdown with Romanian top seed Halep.
In the men’s draw Rafael Nadal, who last year won his third crown at Flushing Meadows, starts his defence against fellow Spaniard and long-time Davis Cup teammate David Ferrer, while second seed Roger Federer meets Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka. Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic, who could face Federer in the last eight, starts against Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics.
While Federer, who won the last of his five US Open titles in 2008, is in the same quarter of the draw as twice champion and sixth-seeded Serb Djokovic, the Swiss also has Australian Nick Kyrgios as a possible third-round opponent.
Defending women’s champion Sloane Stephens will play Russia’s Evgeniya Rodina in the opening round and could face former World No.1 Victoria Azarenka of Belarus in the third.
British former World No.1 Andy Murray, who returned this year after surgery on a hip injury and is playing his first Grand Slam since his run to the 2017 Wimbledon quarterfinals, opens against unheralded Australian James Duckworth. If he wins his first two rounds, his third round opponent could be 2009 winner Juan Martin del Potro.
