Big Apple luck of the draw far from an Open and shut case for top seeds

NEW YORK: Top seeds Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams face challenging early tests at the US Open following yesterday’s draw for the year’s final Grand Slam tournament starting on Monday.

Djokovic, who has been bothered by a wrist injury, faces towering Jerzy Janowicz of Poland in his opening match at Flushing Meadows, and is likely to meet 48thranked Jiri Vesely of the Czech Republic in the second round.

Vesely beat the Serbian world No 1 earlier this season on clay in Monte Carlo.

Williams, recovering from a shoulder injury, drew Russian left- hander Ekaterina Makarova as her first opponent.

The 34-year-old American, seeking to break her tie with Steffi Graf for the most Grand Slam singles titles in the Open era on 22, has a 4-1 career record against Makarova but lost to the Russian in the fourth round at the 2012 Australian Open.

Williams is in a strong quarter that also includes fifth seed Simona Halep of Romania and 16th-seeded Australian Samantha Stosur, who beat the American in the 2011 US Open final.

Djokovic is seeded to face either Frenchman Richard Gasquet or big-serving American John Isner in the fourth round with France’s Jo-Wilfried Tsonga or 2014 champion Marin Cilic possible quarter-final opponents.

At last year’s tournament, Williams was trying to rewrite the record book and fell short, but starting on Monday at Flushing Meadows winning is getting personal.

Williams’ 184-week reign as world No 1 is under attack and the American will be loathe to relinquish it, according to no less an authority than ESPN commentator Chris Evert, who held the lofty perch for a total of 260 weeks.

“Serena being No 2 in the world doesn’t sort of sit well with her,” Evert said in a conference call this week ahead of the US Open.

“I think she’ll be eager to go … and I think she’s going to win it again.”

The championship has a ring of familiarity with six-time winner Williams and defending men’s champion Djokovic as top seeds, but there is a twist in the 2016 proceedings.

Rain will not threaten to bring the championship to a grinding halt as a $150-million (about R2,145-billion) retractable roof over Arthur Ashe Stadium guarantees centre court matches at least.

Williams and Djokovic are fa- vourites in the year’s last Grand Slam, both more or less at even money, though their fitness is in question and both face top challengers emboldened by recent success.

Williams must contend with Ger many’s Angelique Kerber, the Australian Open winner who would have become world No 1 had she not lost the final at last week’s Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati.

Djokovic, who has been bothered by a wrist injury, is being chased by No 2 Andy Murray, fresh off a 22-match win streak that carried him to his second Wimbledon title, the successful defence of his Olympic singles crown, and the Cincinnati final.

The season has already produced momentous achievements, with Williams matching Graf for most Slams in the Open era with her 22nd, won at Wimbledon over Kerber.

Djokovic completed a career Grand Slam by winning the French Open for a 12th Slam title that also enabled him to hold all four Slams at once.

Yet both have had recent stumbles.

Williams lost in the third round of Olympic singles in Rio and then withdrew from the Cincinnati event because of her shoulder.

Djokovic was a first-round casualty in Rio, falling to 2009 US Open winner Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina, who appears to be reestablishing himself after a long recovery from a wrist injury.

The Serbian was also a thirdround loser at Wimbledon to American Sam Querrey.

Williams suffered perhaps her most stinging defeat at last year’s Open, losing to unseeded Italian Roberta Vinci in the semi-finals, needing to win the title to complete a rare calendar year Grand Slam.

Danger also lurks elsewhere in both draws. – Reuters