Us Open Draw: Emma Raducanu Faces Tough Route If She Can Beat Qualifier In First Round

Emma Raducanu has avoided nan apical seeds successful nan first 2 rounds of nan US Open but she still faces a challenging way arsenic she tries to person her caller affirmative shape into her first lucifer triumph successful New York since her daze triumph present 4 years ago.

Britain’s Raducanu, who is unseeded, will unfastened her tourney against a qualifier. However, she could look nan in-form 24th seed Veronika Kudermetova, a caller semi-finalist astatine nan Cincinnati Open, successful information two. A imaginable third-round force is simply a resurgent Elena Rybakina, nan 2022 Wimbledon champion and another semi-finalist successful Cincinnati past week.

Last twelvemonth marked a debased constituent for Raducanu arsenic she mislaid successful nan first round aft missing astir of nan US hard-court swing. This time, she is arsenic match-tough arsenic she has been complete nan past fewer years, establishing a consistently precocious level complete nan past fewer months and pushing Aryna Sabalenka, nan world No 1, to a final-set tie-break successful their three-hour tussle successful Cincinnati. Now classed No 35, Raducanu missed retired connected being seeded successful New York by conscionable 1 spot.

In his return to singles competition, Raducanu’s chap British subordinate Jack Draper will besides look a qualifier aliases fortunate loser successful his opening-round match. Draper, seeded fifth, has not competed successful singles since Wimbledon aft being diagnosed pinch a near forearm injury. However, he looked patient and good prepared during his semi-final tally successful nan mixed doubles title alongside Jessica Pegula earlier this week.

One twelvemonth connected from his breakthrough tally to nan US Open semi-final, Draper has been drawn into Jannik Sinner’s quarter, but a quarter-final rematch pinch his aged friend is simply a agelong measurement distant pinch value opponents specified arsenic Gabriel Diallo, Lorenzo Musetti and Flavio Cobolli successful his section.

The women’s section is headed by Sabalenka, who will unfastened her title defence against nan world No 109, Rebeka Masarova of Switzerland. Rybakina, who she could meet successful nan quarter-finals, is nan astir vulnerable subordinate successful her conception earlier nan semi-finals and Pegula, nan 4th seed, is nan 2nd highest seed successful nan apical half.

Jannik Sinner had to discontinue from nan last successful Cincinnati connected Monday but was practising successful New York connected Thursday. Photograph: Sarah Stier/Getty Images

Coco Gauff, nan 3rd seed, has been drawn into No 2-seeded Iga Swiatek’s half of nan tie arsenic she tries to find her measurement again aft a difficult play since her French Open triumph successful June. Swiatek is successful unthinkable shape having won titles astatine Wimbledon and nan Cincinnati Open successful caller weeks. The Pole, who starts nan tourney arsenic dense favourite, will look Emiliana Arango of Colombia successful nan opening round. Venus Williams, meanwhile, has been drawn against nan 11th seed Karolina Muchova successful her 25th quality astatine nan US Open. Williams is the oldest entrant successful nan tourney successful 44 years.

In nan men’s draw, Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, nan apical 2 seeds, will effort to consolidate their domination of men’s tennis pinch a 3rd consecutive expansive slam last gathering and 5th consecutive last overall. Sinner will statesman his title defence against Vit Kopriva of nan Czech Republic and on pinch a imaginable quarter-final against Draper, nan 3rd seed Alexander Zverev is his projected semi-final opponent.

Alcaraz, however, has been handed an highly challenging first-round force successful nan big-serving Reilly Opelka, a erstwhile No 17 who stands astatine 6ft 11in. While nan 4th seed Taylor Fritz – last year’s beaten finalist – is Alcaraz’s projected semi-final force by seeding, nan seventh seed Novak Djokovic, who has been nan champion expansive slam performer down Sinner and Alcaraz this twelvemonth pinch 3 consecutive semi-finals, looms successful Fritz’s quarter. The 38-year-old, however, has not competed since Wimbledon.

Plenty of difficult first-round matches await nan remainder of nan British contingent successful New York. Katie Boulter will look nan 27th seed Marta Kostyuk and Sonay Kartal will statement up against Beatriz Haddad Maia, nan 18th seed. Cameron Norrie will play against nan talented American shotmaker Sebastian Korda, while Jacob Fearnley has been drawn against nan Spanish seasoned Roberto Bautista Agut.