The New Zealand tennis player Marina Erakovic has been drawn to meet second seed Simona Halep in the first round of the US Open in New York next week.
The New Zealand tennis number one Marina Erakovic. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Halep of Romania was a finalist at last year's French Open.
Britain's Andy Murray has been drawn against controversial Australian Nick Kyrgios in the first round of the men's draw.
The 28-year-old has played Kyrgios twice in Grand Slams this year, winning in straight sets at both the Australian and French Opens.
World number 37 Kyrgios was fined $10,000 this month for an "insulting remark" to Stan Wawrinka.
Top seed Novak Djokovic takes on Joao Souza of Brazil in New York.
Women's defending champion Serena Williams, who is aiming to complete a calendar Grand Slam, will open against Russian Vitalia Diatchenko, while defending men's champion Marin Cilic will face a qualifier.
Williams must navigate a heavily American quarter of the draw, including sister Venus, to complete a calendar sweep of the four grand slams, while two sensational quarter-finals loom on the men's side.
Top-seeded Serena Williams is in a quarter that includes nine Americans, notably Sloane Stephens, Madison Keys and Venus, who she could meet in the quarter-finals.
Men's top seed Novak Djokovic of Serbia, the 2011 champion, begins against Brazilian Joao Souza and appears to have a smooth path to the quarters where he could find 14-times major winner Rafael Nadal of Spain, seeded eighth after a sub-par season.
Third seed Andy Murray of Scotland, who won in 2012, had French Open champion Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland, the fifth seed, drawn into his quarter for another potential last-eight showdown worthy of a final.
Australian tennis player Nick Kyrgios Photo: PHOTOSPORT
But first Murray must get through a blockbuster opening clash with talented young Australian Kyrgios, who has made headlines this month for vulgar comments he directed towards Wawrinka that landed him a suspended ban and $25,000 fine.
Second seed Roger Federer, the all-time slam singles king with 17 titles, opens against Argentina's Leonardo Mayer and is seeded to face Czech sixth seed Tomas Berdych in the quarters, before a possible semi-final against the Murray-Wawrinka winner.
Defending men's champion Marin Cilic of Croatia, seeded ninth, could face fourth seed Kei Nishikori of Japan in the quarters for a rematch of their 2014 US Open final.
While various scenarios are suggested in the men's draw, the women's tournament is focused on Serena Williams and her bid to add a record seventh US Open title to her 2015 triumphs at the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon.
The world No.1 will have to bring her focus early.
Her second-round opponent could be Croatian Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, who pulled off a shock win over Halep in the second round of this year's French Open.
Also posing threats in her quarter are eighth-seeded Czech Karolina Pliskova and 12th seed Belinda Bencic of Switzerland, who beat Williams in the Toronto semi-finals less than two weeks ago.
In the lower quarter of the top half, Russian third seed Maria Sharapova and Serbian seventh seed Ana Ivanovic are seeded to compete in the quarters for the chance to meet Williams in the last four.
Second seed Halep begins her tournament against New Zealander Marina Erakovic with dangerous floater Victoria Azarenka of Belarus lurking in her quarter.
Caroline Wozniacki, the fourth seed from Denmark, is seeded to meet fifth seed Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic in the other quarter.
