Sharapova, Halep to meet in 1st round at U.S. Open

NEW YORK » Welcome back to Grand Slam tennis, Maria Sharapova.

There will be no easing into the U.S. Open for Sharapova, whose first match at a major tournament since her doping suspension comes against No. 2-seeded Simona Halep at Flushing Meadows.

That attention-grabbing first-round matchup was determined by Friday’s draw, which also eliminated the possibility of a men’s final between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal by placing them on the same side of the bracket. They could face each other in the semifinals at the U.S. Open, the only major tournament where they have never met head-to-head. Play begins Monday. Nadal is seeded No. 1 in New York for the first time since 2010; Federer is No. 3. They have played 37 times, including 12 at the other majors — most recently the Australian Open in January, when Federer edged Nadal in five sets.

Nadal won his record 10th French Open trophy in June, and Federer won his record eighth Wimbledon title in July. Federer owns a record 19 Grand Slam championships; Nadal ranks second among men with 15.

The other semifinal could be No. 2 Andy Murray vs. No. 4 Alexander Zverev.

Much of the buzz Friday was about Sharapova’s showdown against Halep, a two-time French Open runner-up. The U.S. Tennis Association awarded a wild card to Sharapova, who is ranked 147th after returning from a 15-month doping suspension in April, so she could have been randomly placed against anyone.

“It’s an exciting match,”