Emma Raducanu will meet Alize Cornet in the US Open
(Picture: USA TODAY Sports)Emma Raducanu will begin the defence of her US Open crown against France’s Alize Cornet, while Serena Williams will begin her expected farewell against Danka Kovinic of Montenegro.
No11 seed Raducanu, a stunning winner at Flushing Meadows last year after coming through qualifying, has been handed a potentially tricky start against Cornet, who reached the quarter-finals of the Australian Open earlier this year and ended world No1 Iga Swiatek’s 37-match unbeaten streak at Wimbledon last month.
Should both get that far, Raducanu would meet another former champion in Naomi Osaka in the third round, though the Japanese star is facing a tough opener against home favourite Danielle Collins, the 19th seed.
Williams, meanwhile, is set to bow out of the sport following the tournament and has one final chance to equal Margaret Court’s record of 24 Grand Slam singles titles.
She faces Kovinic - who knocked Raducanu out of the Australian Open this year - in the opening round on either Monday or Tuesday next week, could then face No2 seed Anett Kontaveit of Estonia in round two.
Meanwhile, in the men’s draw, Britain’s Cam Norrie, who reached his first Grand Slam semi-final at Wimbledon, will play France’s Benoit Paire, while Andy Murray starts against 24th seed Francisco Cerundolo of Argentina.
Wimbledon runner-up Nick Kyrgios is drawn against compatriot Thanasi Kokkinakis, alongside whom he won the men’s doubles title at the pair’s home Australian Open.
Elsewhere for the Brits, the in-form Jack Draper is up against Finland’s unseeded Emil Ruusuvuori, but Kyle Edmund has been handed a daunting task against fifth seed Casper Ruud, while Harriet Dart plays Russian tenth seed Daria Kasatkina.
