Serena Williams, Novak Djokovic named top seeds for US Open
Serena Williams, aiming to complete the calendar-year Grand Slam, and Novak Djokovic were named top seeds for the US Open Championships, starting on August 31.
WTA world number one player Serena Williams, aiming to complete the first calendar-year Grand Slam in 27 years, and ATP world number one Novak Djokovic were named top seeds for the US Open Championships, the final major of the season, which will start on Monday, August 31, in New York City.
A victory for Williams will make her the fourth woman to sweep all four slams in a single season, joining Maureen Connolly (1953), Margaret Court (1970) and Steffi Graf (1988).
It would also be the American's seventh US Open crown, breaking her tie atop the all-time list with fellow American Chris Evert, and tie her for second on the all-time career Grand Slam singles titles list with Graf at 22, two behind Court.
Williams, winner of the last three US Open women's singles titles, is followed on the seeding list by number two Simona Halep of Romania, the 2014 French Open runner-up. Russia's Maria Sharapova, the 2006 US Open winner, is seeded third with 2014 US Open runner-up Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark seeded fourth.
Five-time US Open champion Roger Federer is the second seed for the men's singles event, where the top 10 seeds feature five US Open champions and six Grand Slam winners in all. In addition to 2011 champion Djokovic and Switzerland's Federer (2004-08), former US Open champions in the top 10 include Andy Murray (2012), Rafael Nadal (2010, 13) and last year's winner, Marin Cilic.
Scotland's Murray is seeded third, Spain's Nadal eighth and Croatia's Cilic seeded ninth. Kei Nishikori of Japan, runner-up last year to Cilic, is seeded fourth, one spot ahead of reigning French Open champion Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland.
Other prominent women's seeds include fifth-seeded Czech Petra Kvitova, the 2011 and 2014 Wimbledon champion, followed at number six by compatriot Lucie Safarova, this year's French Open finalist. Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, the US Open runner-up in 2012 and 2013, is seeded 20th.
Two-time US Open winner Venus Williams, Serena's older sister, is seeded 23rd, 2011 champion Samantha Stosur of Australia is 22nd and 2004 US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia is seeded 30th.
The singles draws for the 2015 US Open will be made at the USTA National Tennis Centre in Flushing Meadows, New York, on Thursday.