Serena handed tough path to U.S. Open final

Serena Williams, who is aiming for a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam title at this year’s U.S. Open, was handed a difficult path to the final after being drawn on Thursday in the same quarter as older sister Venus and world number one Simona Halep, Reuters reports.

Serena, a six-times champion in New York who is seeded 17th, will start her campaign against Polish world number 60 Magda Linette and could face Venus in the third round before a possible fourth-round showdown with Romanian top seed Halep.

In her last bid to match Australian Margaret Court’s record haul of Grand Slam titles, the 36-year-old Williams, who missed last year’s U.S. Open due to her pregnancy, came up one win shy as she fell to German Angelique Kerber in the Wimbledon final.

In the men’s draw Rafael Nadal, who last year won his third crown at Flushing Meadows, starts his defense against fellow Spaniard and long-time Davis Cup team mate David Ferrer, while second seed Roger Federer meets Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka.

Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic, who could face Federer in the last eight, starts against Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics.

The U.S. Open begins on Monday.