Serena Williams is set for a possible meeting with sister Venus Williams in the third round of the US Open, a match that could be preceded by a round of 16 clash with top seed Simona Halep.
The draw, released Thursday, gives the 23-time grand slam champion arguably the toughest road she could face. Williams received the No. 17 seed, a handful of places higher than her ranking, but the boost appeared to offer her little help. She will open with Magda Linette; Venus Williams faces a tricky opening test against 2004 champion Svetlana Kuznetsova. Halep first meets Kaia Kanepi.
The top quarter of the draw features a handful of other intriguing players, including 2016 runner-up Karolina Pliskova and Garbiñe Muguruza. They could meet in the fourth round in the bottom half of the quarter, should Muguruza see of Ash Barty in the previous round.
Defending champion Sloane Stephens, the No. 3 seed, also sits in the top half. She appears to have a less rigorous draw, with Elise Mertens a possible third round opponent and Wimbledon semifinalist Julia Georges or Elina Svitolina next. Stephens could meet unseeded Victoria Azarenka in the third round.
On the bottom half, No. 2 seed Caroline Wozniacki could face an early third round test against Cincinnati champion Kiki Bertens, two rounds after an opening contest with Samantha Stosur. No. 5 seed Petra Kvitova, once again seeking to make a first deep run in New York, sits at the top of that quarter; she is in line to meet rapidly rising Aryna Sabalenka late in the opening week.
Wimbledon champion Angelique Kerber, the No. 4 seed and 2016 US Open champion, also looms large in the bottom half. Should seedings hold, she would meet Madison Keys, last year’s runner-up, in the fourth round. Maria Sharapova, the No. 22 seed, could meet Jelena Ostapenko in the third round, followed by No. 6 Carolina Garcia, another player looking for a first deep run in a grand slam.
Garcia, however, faces one of the trickiest first round tests against Johanna Konta. The draw is light on other first round blockbusters, though other intriguing contests include Anastasija Sevastova against Donna Vekic, plus Sabalenka and Danielle Collins.
