Pliskova heads line-up

NEW world No. 1 Karolina Pliskova headlines the direct entry lists for the US Open women’s singles.

Pliskova, the 2016 runnerup at Flushing Meadows, is joined by four past US Open champions: Angelique Kerber, Venus Williams, Sam Stosur and Svetlana Kuznetsova.

Other major winners in the field are Garbine Muguruza, Petra Kvitova, Francesca Schiavone, Victoria Azarenka and Jelena Ostapenko.

Stosur has pulled out of the first planned tournament of her US Open campaign, casting fresh doubts over her ability to have a serious run at the year’s last major.

The 33-year-old Gold Coaster was to have played in the WTA Washington DC event starting next Monday.

But the 2011 US Open champion has delayed returning to practice after hand stress fractures forced her to withdraw from Wimbledon.