New York – Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic will face difficult American opponents when they start their quest for another US Open title.
Venus Williams, on the other hand, returns to the event at the age of 45 against the seeded n ° 11 Karolina Muchova, a previous finalist of the French Open who reached the semi-finals in New York in the last two years.
It was one of the first highlights after the draws were performed Thursday for the tournaments of male and female singles.
They start on Sunday, a day earlier than in the past, and a pair of recent US Open champions could be tested early.
Alcaraz, seeded n ° 2, begins against Reilly Opelka. Opelka, a former top 20 player before the injuries, 6 feet 11 inch with a powerful service that he drove in the fourth round in New York in 2021.
Alcaraz won its only US Open title the following year and continued to add four other Grand Slam titles.
Djokovic has a 24 -them male record, including four at the US Open. Sepned Seventh, he will face the learner Tien, a 19 -year -old left -hander who upset Daniil Medvedev en route to the fourth round of the Australian Open this year.
Now playing rarely outside the majors at 38 years old and having fallen to n ° 7 in the ranking, Djokovic might have to beat the finalist of the US Open 2024, Taylor Fritz, the seeded n ° 4, in the quarterfinals, then Alcaraz in the semi-finals and n ° 1 Jannik Sinner, the defended champion, in the final.
Williams has received a US Tennis association joker in a tournament where she won two of her seven single home titles, and she will be the oldest player to participate in single in Flushing Meadows since 1981.
But she faces someone who has shown the ability to raise their game in the biggest tournaments. Muchova, after falling in the final of the France 2023 Open, arrived at the semi-finals in New York later this summer and again last year.
The seeded n ° 3 Coco Gauff, who won his first major title in US Open 2023, will first face Ajla Tomljanovic, the Australian who beat Williams’ younger sister, Serena, in her last match in 2022.
The potential quarter -finals on the male side are the sinner against n ° 5 Jack Draper, and the n ° 3 Alexander Zverev against n ° 8 Alex de Minaur in the upper half of the support. The lower half could be Alcaraz against n ° 6 Ben Shelton and Fritz against Djokovic.
The female districts could be reigning champion and the seeded n ° 1 Aryna Sabalenka against Jasmine Paolini n ° 7, and the n ° 4 Jessica Pegula against Mirra Andreeva n ° 5 at the top of half. The other side could see N ° 2 IGA Swiatek vs n ° 8 Amanda Anisimova in a revenge match of Swiattek’s defeat in the Wimbledon final, and GAUFF vs. 6 Madison Keys, the Australian champion open.
