US Open draw: Sharapova v Halep blockbuster

Simona Halep will face Maria Sharapova in a blockbuster first round at the US Open. On the men’s side of the draw, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer are on course to meet in the semifinals, although both will need to negotiate some tricky opponents if they are to meet for the first time at Flushing Meadows.

The women: Halep v Sharapova blockbuster

For all the talk of dangerous floaters, it’s very rare that a Grand Slam draw actually throws up a loaded first round. But when Maria Sharapova’s name appeared alongside Simona Halep’s, both women would have winced.

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Halep is not only chasing her first Grand Slam title, but is just five points off the world No.1 and the clear favourite to take the top spot at the end of the tournament. Sharapova, meanwhile, is making her Grand Slam re-debut, and is coming off a difficult spell of injuries.

They are joined in their quarter by Britain’s Johanna Konta, with Sloane Stephens, Ash Barty and Peng Shuai all potentially tricky opponents.

On the other side of the bottom half, Wimbledon champion Garbine Muguruza faces a number of tricky obstacles if she is to claim the third leg of a career Slam. The Spaniard opens against Varvara Lepchenko, but could face Petra Kvitova in the fourth round, and either Caroline Wozniacki or Venus Williams in the quarters.

In the top half of the draw, Karolina Pliskova will be hoping to ease her way into the tournament against Magda Linette. After some manageable opening matches, Pliskova’s biggest threat should come in the quarters where she is seeded to face CoCo Vandeweghe or Svetlana Kuznetsova.

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Meanwhile, in the second quarter Elina Svitolina will faces a few tricky matches if she is to claim her maiden major title. Opening against Siniakova, the fourth seed could face Genie Bouchard, Daria Gavrilova and Madison Keys en route to the quarterfinals. If she makes it that far, she would be seeded to player either Roland Garros champion Jelena Ostapenko or defending US Open champ Angelique Kerber.

The men: Roger & Rafa on collision course

There’s no such thing as an easy draw at Grand Slam level, but Rafael Nadal will be breathing a sigh of relief after scanning his Flushing Meadows quarter. The world No.1 opens against Serbia’s Dusan Lajovic, with either Richard Gasquet or Leonardo Mayer his likely third round opponents. Fognini or Berdych are waiting in the fourth round, and Grigor Dimitrov is a likely quarterfinal opponent.

If Rafa is breathing a sigh of relief, Roger Federer is doing anything but. Landing in a loaded quarter, the 19-time major champion kicks off his campaign with an awkward clash against talented teen Frances Tiafoe. Sam Querrey or Nick Kyrgios should be lying in wait for him in the fourth round, with either Juan Martin del Potro or Dominic Thiem his likely quarterfinal opponents.

Should they both make it that far, Roger and Rafa will meet in the semifinals.

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On the other side of the draw, fate has been kind to Andy Murray. The world No.2, who is making his return after an extended spell on the sidelines, takes on Tennys Sandgren in the opening round. If his hip holds up, he should be clear until the fourth round (Ferrer or Pouille). After that, the trickiest threat, on paper at least, appears to be Pablo Carreno Busta.

In the third quarter of the draw, Alex Zverev faces an uphill battle if he is to go further than the fourth round – his best showing at a Slam. The German faces Kevin Anderson in the third round, and either Jack Sock or Gilles Muller in the fourth. Marin Cilic, a dark horse for the title, should be lying in wait in the quarterfinal.

First round matches to keep an eye on:

Sharapova v Halep
Kvitova v Jankovic
Svitolina v Siniakova
Harrison v Berdych
Federer v Tiafoe
Cilic v Simon