US Open: Serena Williams will meet Danka Kovinic in the opener
40-year-old Serena Williams will encounter Danka Kovinic of Montenegro in her opening match at the US Open after the draw for the Major was released on Thursday
Serena Williams last US OpenThe 23-time Grand Slam titlist who will be playing a Grand Slam for the last time has been named in the same quarter as second seed Anett Kontaveit of Estonia.
The American, who won her first Grand Slam title at the 1999 US Open, will encounter Kontaveit in the second round if both players get past the first round at the year's final Grand Slam event, slated to commence on Monday.
Williams is one trophy behind current record holder Margaret Court who has 24 Slam crowns to her credit. The American could meet Canada's 14th-seeded Leylah Fernandez, the runner-up to 2021 champion Emma Raducanu in the fourth round.
The quarter-finals could pit Williams against Tunisia's Ons Jabeur, this year's Wimbledon finalist. The player who survives Kontaveit's quarter of the draw could encounter Greek third seed Maria Sakkari or Romania's seventh-seeded Simona Halep in the semi-finals.
The remaining half of the draw includes top seed Iga Swiatek of Poland, who won the French Open this year, and Spanish fourth seed Paula Badosa.
Swiatek might face US eighth seed Jessica Pegula in a quarter-final, and Badosa might tackle sixth seed Aryna Sabalenka. Badosa's quarter also has Japan's Naomi Osaka, who has won four Grand Slams till now.
Her path could lead her to Emma Raducanu in the third round and Sabalenka in the round of 16. Two-time Australian Open winner Victoria Azarenka could face Badosa in the third round.
Venus Williams might meet Sabalenka in the third round and could only meet Serena in a US Open final. Serena has indicated that she is ready to prioritise other areas of her life, including possibly having a second child