It has been made public on Thursday what the US Open draw is and as soon as it came out, Carlos Alcaraz found himself face-to-face with a potential adversary in the person of Novak Djokovic.
The third seed from Spain decides to start his campaign of fire Jamboree Opelka, a big-serving American, and if everything goes according to plan, he might even have to face world No.1 Jannik Sinner in the final.
Besides, depending on what happens in Flushing Meadows, Alcaraz, the 2022 champion, may have the opportunity to take back the No.1 spot from Sinner.
In pursuit of his 25th Grand Slam title, which would be a new record, Djokovic’s first match at the tournament will be against American teenager Learner Tien.
The Serbian, who has not done so since Wimbledon, enjoys a 5-3 advantage in the head-to-head over Alcaraz, and at this year’s Australian Open, he defeated him in four sets.
The first seed Sinner, the defending champion, takes on Czech Vit Kopriva in the beginning and is then likely to meet Britain’s Jack Draper in the quarter-finals.
In the women’s draw, world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka will be up against Switzerland’s Rebeka Masarova in the match for her first point. Second seed Iga Swiatek meets Emiliana Arango in her opener and if she goes through, she will face Coco Gauff in a blockbuster semi-final.
By the way, Venus Williams, the American icon of tennis, 45 years old, has been paired with 11th seed Karolina Muchova for a difficult first round encounter that could mark her last US Open appearance.
