Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic face early tests at US Open

NEW YORK -- Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic will face potential difficult American opponents when they begin their quest for another US Open title.

Venus Williams, meanwhile, returns to the event at age 45 against No. 11 seed Karolina Muchova, a past French Open finalist who has reached the semifinals in New York the past two years.

That was one of the early highlight matches after the draws were conducted Thursday for the men's and women's singles tournaments.

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Those begin Sunday, a day earlier than in the past, and a pair of recent US Open champions could be tested early.

Alcaraz, the No. 2 seed, starts against Reilly Opelka. Opelka, a former top-20 player before injuries, is 6-foot-11 with a powerful serve that he rode to the fourth round in New York in 2021.

Alcaraz won his lone US Open title the following year and has gone on to add four more Grand Slam titles.

Djokovic owns a men's record 24 of them, including four at the US Open. 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 might 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 she 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.

No. 3 seed Coco Gauff, who won her first major title in the 2023 U.S. Open, will first face Ajla Tomljanovic, the Australian who beat Williams' younger sister, Serena, in her final match in 2022.

The potential quarterfinals on the men's side are Sinner vs. No. 5 Jack Draper, and No. 3 Alexander Zverev vs. No. 8 Alex de Minaur in the top half of the bracket. The bottom half could be Alcaraz vs. No. 6 Ben Shelton, and Fritz vs. Djokovic.

The women's quarters could be defending champion and No. 1 seed Aryna Sabalenka vs. No. 7 Jasmine Paolini, and No. 4 Jessica Pegula vs. No. 5 Mirra Andreeva on the top half. The other side could see No. 2 Iga Swiatek vs. No. 8 Amanda Anisimova in a rematch of Swiatek's romp in the Wimbledon final, and Gauff vs. No. 6 Madison Keys, the Australian Open champion.