US Open 2018 draw: Serena Williams, Konta, Sharapova & Halep learn their fate
With three separate Grand Slam winners in the WTA in 2018, the final major of the year is set to be typically fascinating.
Simona Halep, Caroline Wozniacki and Angelique Kerber have grabbed a Slam each in 2018, but the spectre of an ever improving Serena Williams is lurking waiting to strike in Flushing Meadows.
The 23-time major winner is chasing a remarkable seventh title on home soil and she will hope to inherit the crown from her compatriot Sloane Stephens this year.
Williams has seen her seeding bumped up to 17th and she begins against Magda Linette.
US Open seeds (WTA)
1. Simona Halep, Romania
2. Caroline Wozniacki, Denmark
3. Sloane Stephens, United States
4. Angelique Kerber, Germany
5. Petra Kvitova, Czech Republic
6. Caroline Garcia, France
7. Elina Svitolina, Ukraine
8. Karolina Pliskova, Czech Republic
9. Julia Goerges, Germany
10. Jelena Ostapenko, Latvia
11. Daria Kasatkina, Russia
12. Garbiñe Muguruza, Spain
13. Kiki Bertens, Netherlands
14. Madison Keys, United States
15. Elise Mertens, Belgium
16. Venus Williams, United States
17. Serena Williams, United States
18. Ashleigh Barty, Australia
19. Anastasija Sevastova, Latvia
20. Naomi Osaka, Japan
21. Mihaela Buzarnescu, Romania
22. Maria Sharapova, Russia
23. Barbora Strycova, Czech Republic
24. CoCo Vandeweghe, United States
25. Daria Gavrilova, Australia
26. Aryna Sabalenka, Belarus
27. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Russia
28. Anett Kontaveit, Estonia
29. Dominika Cibulkova, Slovakia
30. Carla Suarez Navarro, Spain
31. Magdalena Rybarikova, Slovakia
32. Maria Sakkari, Greece
Fascinatingly, Serena is in Simona Haleps quarter of the draw and is also due to meet her sister Venus in round three.
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Halep opens against Kaia Kanepi and Venus faces a testing opener against Svetlana Kuznetsova, while Garbine Muguruza and Karolina Pliskova are also in the same stacked quarter.
In the other half, world No. 2 Caroline Wozniacki begins against 2011 champion Samantha Stosur, with Petra Kvitova also in her quarter.
Last years winner Stephens is in Haleps half of the draw and opens against Evgeniya Rodina. She may meet Victoria Azarenka in round three but seems to have landed in a decent quarter and will fancy her chances of going deep.
British No. 1 Johanna Konta is in the bottom half of the draw, with fourth seed and Wimbledon champion Angelique Kerber, Jelena Ostapenko and Maria Sharapova among the lurkers and the world No. 46 faces sixth seed Caroline Garcia in the opening round.
Sharapova will take on a qualifier while Kerber meets Margarita Gasparyan.
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