AP, New York :
Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova will finally meet in the U.S. Open, and they’ll do it in their very first match.
A long-awaited Roger Federer-Rafael Nadal showdown could come only in the final.
Williams and Sharapova, past U.S. Open champions and two of the biggest stars in women’s tennis, were scheduled for an opening-round matchup when the draws were conducted Thursday for the final major of the year.
Williams and Sharapova have met in the finals of the other three majors and the 2012 Olympics but have never played each other in the U.S. Open. Williams owns a 19-2 record in their WTA Tour matchups and has won 18 in a row, but that lopsided number shouldn’t do much to dampen the hype around what will be the marquee match of the opening round at Flushing Meadows, which starts Monday.
Williams will begin another bid for a record-tying 24th Grand Slam singles title. Sharapova isn’t the same player she was when she won the 2006 U.S. Open championship – or beat Williams two years earlier in the final at Wimbledon – but remains one of the most popular players among fans in New York.
Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova will finally meet in the U.S. Open, and they’ll do it in their very first match.
A long-awaited Roger Federer-Rafael Nadal showdown could come only in the final.
Williams and Sharapova, past U.S. Open champions and two of the biggest stars in women’s tennis, were scheduled for an opening-round matchup when the draws were conducted Thursday for the final major of the year.
Williams and Sharapova have met in the finals of the other three majors and the 2012 Olympics but have never played each other in the U.S. Open. Williams owns a 19-2 record in their WTA Tour matchups and has won 18 in a row, but that lopsided number shouldn’t do much to dampen the hype around what will be the marquee match of the opening round at Flushing Meadows, which starts Monday.
Williams will begin another bid for a record-tying 24th Grand Slam singles title. Sharapova isn’t the same player she was when she won the 2006 U.S. Open championship – or beat Williams two years earlier in the final at Wimbledon – but remains one of the most popular players among fans in New York.
