Women’s big guns clash as Murray handed kind draw

Sharapova lines up against second seed Halep on grand slam return

Andy Murray will play American Tennys Sandgren in the opening round of the US Open, which also features a blockbuster clash between Simona Halep and Maria Sharapova.

Sharapova will play in a grand slam for the first time since the Australian Open in 2016, where she gave the positive drugs test that put her out of the game for 15 months.

The US Open has gone against the grain of its fellow grand slams by giving the former champion a wild card and has been rewarded with one of the biggest first-round matches in memory.

Sharapova and second seed Halep, one of the title favourites, have played six times before, including in the French Open final in 2014, with the Russian winning every one.

Murray would have been keeping his fingers crossed for a kind draw as he prepares to test out the hip that gave him such trouble during Wimbledon, and that appears to have played out.

The Scot has not played a match since his quarter-final exit at SW19, losing the world No 1 ranking to Rafael Nadal, and will give the first update about his fitness at a press conference today.

Sandgren is a 26-year-old ranked 104 who made his grand slam debut at the French this year, losing in the first round.

The first seed Murray is scheduled to meet is Argentinian Diego Schwartzman in round three, with the likes of David Ferrer, Lucas Pouille and JoWilfried Tsonga waiting thereafter.

Murray also cannot meet either Nadal or Roger Federer until the final, with both on the other side of the draw.

Top seed Nadal opens against Serbia’s Dusan Lajovic while Wimbledon champion Federer has an attractive clash against young American Frances Tiafoe.

Federer and Nadal, who have won all three slams between them so far this year, have never faced each other at Flushing Meadows.

Among the other British men, Kyle Edmund meets 32nd seed Robin Haase, while Aljaz Bedene plays Andrey Rublev. Qualifier Cameron Norrie was waiting to learn his opponent.

British women’s No 1 and seventh seed Johanna Konta will face Serbia’s Aleksandra Krunic in the opening round

Heather Watson, who has suffered six consecutive first-round losses in New York, will attempt to end that streak against France’s Alize Cornet.

Picture: Getty. Andy Murray: due to give an update on his fitness at a press conference today.