Draws set early matchups for the US Open, which begins Sunday a day earlier than previous years. No. 2 seed Carlos Alcaraz opens against Reilly Opelka, a 6-foot-11 former top-20 player with a powerful serve. Novak Djokovic, seeded seventh, faces 19-year-old left-hander Learner Tien and could encounter Taylor Fritz in the quarterfinals, Alcaraz in the semifinals and Jannik Sinner in the final. Venus Williams received a U.S. Tennis Association wild card and at 45 will play No. 11 seed Karolina Muchova, a recent New York semifinalist. No. 3 seed Coco Gauff draws Ajla Tomljanovic.
Seeded seventh, he will face Learner Tien, a 19-year-old left-hander who upset Daniil Medvedev en route to the fourth round of this year's Australian Open. Now playing infrequently outside of the majors at 38 and having fallen to No. 7 in the rankings, Djokovic could have to beat 2024 US Open runner-up Taylor Fritz, the No. 4 seed, in the quarterfinals, then Alcaraz in the semifinals and No. 1 Jannik Sinner, the defending champion, in the final.
Williams was given a wild card by the U.S. Tennis Association into a tournament where she won two of her seven Grand Slam singles titles, and will be the oldest player to compete in singles at Flushing Meadows since 1981. But she faces someone who has shown the ability to raise her game in the biggest tournaments. Muchova, after falling in the 2023 French Open final, got to the semis in New York later that summer and again last year.
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