OSAKA, GAUFF COULD MEET IN US OPEN 3RD ROUND

American teenager Coco Gauff and two-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka could face each other at the U.S. Open again after Thursday’s draw for the Grand Slam tournament set up a possible third-round rematch.

The U.S. Tennis Association quietly posted the women’s and men’s singles draws online, without the usual TV hoopla.

The U.S. Open is scheduled to begin Monday, without any spectators.

Osaka, who won the 2018 U.S. Open and 2019 Australian Open, beat Gauff, then just 15, 6-3, 6-0 in the third round at Flushing Meadows a year ago.

If the No. 4-seeded Osaka or the unseeded Gauff reaches the quarterfinals, the opponent at that stage could be No. 6 Petra Kvitova, a two-time Wimbledon champion.

Other potential women’s quarterfinals: No. 1 seed Karolina Pliskova vs. No. 8 Petra Martic; No. 2 Sofia Kenin vs. No. 5 Aryna Sabalenka; and No. 3 Serena Williams vs. No. 7 Madison Keys. Only two of the top eight women in the WTA rankings entered the hard-court tournament. Among those missing are No. 1-ranked Ash Barty and 2019 U.S. Open champion Bianca Andreescu. The defending men’s champion, Rafael Nadal, and 20-time Grand Slam title winner Roger Federer are also among those absent in New York this year.

Top-ranked Novak Djokovic did decide to play, though, and was drawn to face 107th-ranked Damir Dzhumhur in the first round.

Midfielder Weston McKennie is poised to become the first American player at Juventus.

The nine-time defending Serie A champion posted photos of McKennie’s arrival in Turin on Thursday ahead of an expected loan from German club Schalke.

The deal reportedly involves a clause requiring Juventus to purchase McKennie’s full rights at the end of the season.

The 21-year-old McKennie can play any of the midfield positions, which makes him a flexible option for new Juventus coach Andrea Pirlo.