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Six-time US Open champion Serena Williams could be set for a prime-time third-round matchup with sister Venus, while defending champion Sloane Stephens could meet world No. 1 Simona Halep in the semifinals of the 2018 US Open.

Thursday’s draw also pitted world No. 2 Caroline Wozniacki against former US Open champion Samantha Stosur in the opening round, with another champion, Svetlana Kuznetsova, drawn against Venus in Round 1.

Two-time Australian Open champion and wild card Victoria Azarenka will play Viktoria Kuzmova in her first match in New York City since 2015.

Only one all-American match is scheduled for the first round, with wild card and 2017 US Open girls' champion Amanda Anisimova set to play Taylor Townsend. The U.S. leads all nations with 19 women in the main draw, with the possibility of more coming through the US Open Qualifying Tournament.

Looking ahead to potential quarterfinals if all Top 8 seeds advance, world No. 1 Halep would play No. 8 Karolina Pliskova; No. 2 Caroline Wozniacki would meet fifth-seeded Petra Kvitova; No. 3 Sloane Stephens would face No. 7 Elina Svitolina; and No. 4 Angelique Kerber would play No. 6 Caroline Garcia.

Here's a look at each quarter of the draw.

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TOP HALF

Simona Halep’s quarter

Halep opens her 2018 campaign against Kaia Kanepi of Estonia and could face No. 27 seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia in the third round. Halep’s quarter of the draw is stacked, with the Williams sisters, two-time Grand Slam singles champion Garbiñe Muguruza and former US Open finalist Pliskova all in the Romanian’s section.

Serena, seeded 17th in New York, begins against Magda Linette of Poland in the first round and would face either Carina Witthoeft of Germany or fellow American Caroline Dolehide in Round 2. Venus, meanwhile, could have one of the toughest first-round matches in the draw when she faces 2004 US Open champion and wild card Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia. Should Venus advance, she could face former junior world No. 1 Whitney Osuigwe of America in the second round.

Should the Williams sisters meet in the round of 32, it would be the 30th career match between the siblings and their sixth at Flushing Meadows. It would also be the second-earliest meeting at a major between the pair, after their first meeting in the second round of the Australian Open 20 years ago. Serena, who leads the matchup 17-12, is looking to tie Margaret Court's all-time Grand Slam title mark with her 24th major title.

Elsewhere among the other seeds in Halep’s quarter, No. 18 seed Ashleigh Barty will play a qualifier in Round 1, while No. 32 seed Maria Sakkari of Greece opens against another American wild card, Asia Muhammad.

Should Halep advance through the draw, she’d be in line to play Stephens in the semis.

Playing field set after 2018 US Open Draw Ceremony
August 23, 2018 - The US Open Men's Singles trophy at the 2018 US Open Draw Ceremony at Brookfield Place in New York, New York.August 23, 2018 - The US Open Men's Singles trophy at the 2018 US Open Draw Ceremony at Brookfield Place in New York, New York.August 23, 2018 - Chris McKendry, Tracy Austin, and Chris Fowler at the 2018 US Open Draw Ceremony at Brookfield Place in New York, New York.August 23, 2018 - Chris McKendry, Tracy Austin, and Chris Fowler at the 2018 US Open Draw Ceremony at Brookfield Place in New York, New York.August 23, 2018 - Fans at the 2018 US Open Draw Ceremony at Brookfield Place in New York, New York.August 23, 2018 - Fans at the 2018 US Open Draw Ceremony at Brookfield Place in New York, New York.August 23, 2018 - Gordon Smith, USTA CEO, and Katrina Adams, USTA President and Chairman, at the 2018 US Open Draw Ceremony at Brookfield Place in New York, New York.August 23, 2018 - Gordon Smith, USTA CEO, and Katrina Adams, USTA President and Chairman, at the 2018 US Open Draw Ceremony at Brookfield Place in New York, New York.August 23, 2018 - Chris McKendry, Tracy Austin, and Chris Fowler at the 2018 US Open Draw Ceremony at Brookfield Place in New York, New York.August 23, 2018 - Chris McKendry, Tracy Austin, and Chris Fowler at the 2018 US Open Draw Ceremony at Brookfield Place in New York, New York.August 23, 2018 - Chris McKendry, Tracy Austin, and Chris Fowler at the 2018 US Open Draw Ceremony at Brookfield Place in New York, New York.August 23, 2018 - Chris McKendry, Tracy Austin, and Chris Fowler at the 2018 US Open Draw Ceremony at Brookfield Place in New York, New York.August 23, 2018 - Chris McKendry, Tracy Austin, and Chris Fowler at the 2018 US Open Draw Ceremony at Brookfield Place in New York, New York.August 23, 2018 - Chris McKendry, Tracy Austin, and Chris Fowler at the 2018 US Open Draw Ceremony at Brookfield Place in New York, New York.August 23, 2018 - Chris McKendry, Tracy Austin, and Chris Fowler at the 2018 US Open Draw Ceremony at Brookfield Place in New York, New York.August 23, 2018 - Chris McKendry, Tracy Austin, and Chris Fowler at the 2018 US Open Draw Ceremony at Brookfield Place in New York, New York.August 23, 2018 - Chris McKendry, Tracy Austin, and Chris Fowler at the 2018 US Open Draw Ceremony at Brookfield Place in New York, New York.August 23, 2018 - Chris McKendry, Tracy Austin, and Chris Fowler at the 2018 US Open Draw Ceremony at Brookfield Place in New York, New York.August 23, 2018 - Chris McKendry, Tracy Austin, and Chris Fowler at the 2018 US Open Draw Ceremony at Brookfield Place in New York, New York.August 23, 2018 - Chris McKendry, Tracy Austin, and Chris Fowler at the 2018 US Open Draw Ceremony at Brookfield Place in New York, New York.August 23, 2018 - The Men's and Women's Singles trophies at the 2018 US Open Draw Ceremony at Brookfield Place in New York, New York.August 23, 2018 - The Men's and Women's Singles trophies at the 2018 US Open Draw Ceremony at Brookfield Place in New York, New York.August 23, 2018 - Chris McKendry, Tracy Austin, and Chris Fowler at the 2018 US Open Draw Ceremony at Brookfield Place in New York, New York.August 23, 2018 - Chris McKendry, Tracy Austin, and Chris Fowler at the 2018 US Open Draw Ceremony at Brookfield Place in New York, New York.
Sloane Stephens’ quarter

Reigning US Open champion Stephens begins the defense of her title against Evgeniya Rodina of Russia in the first round, possibly No. 25 seed Daria Gavrilova or two-time finalist Azarenka of Belarus in the round of 32 and world No. 7 Elina Svitolina in the quarterfinals.

Azarenka, who was awarded a wild card into the 2018 US Open, will play Kuzmova of Slovakia in the first round. In the bottom half of the quarter, Svitolina faces American Sachia Vickery in the first round and would play the winner of Agnieszka Radwanska or Tatjana Maria in Round 2.

Elsewhere in the bottom section of the top half of the draw, No. 9 Julia Goerges of Germany plays a qualifier; No. 15 seed Elise Mertens of Belgium faces Kurumi Nari of Japan; 19th-seeded Anastasija Sevastova meets Donna Vekic of Croatia; and No. 31 seed Magdalena Rybarikova plays Qiang Wang of China.

Serena Williams on the practice court
August 23, 2018 - Serena Williams practices at the 2018 US Open.August 23, 2018 - Serena Williams practices at the 2018 US Open.August 23, 2018 - Serena Williams practices at the 2018 US Open.August 23, 2018 - Serena Williams practices at the 2018 US Open.August 23, 2018 - Serena Williams practices at the 2018 US Open.August 23, 2018 - Serena Williams practices at the 2018 US Open.August 23, 2018 - Serena Williams practices at the 2018 US Open.August 23, 2018 - Serena Williams practices at the 2018 US Open.August 23, 2018 - Patrick Mouratoglou looks on as Serena Williams practices at the 2018 US Open.August 23, 2018 - Patrick Mouratoglou looks on as Serena Williams practices at the 2018 US Open.August 23, 2018 - Serena Williams practices at the 2018 US Open.August 23, 2018 - Serena Williams practices at the 2018 US Open.August 23, 2018 - Serena Williams practices at the 2018 US Open.August 23, 2018 - Serena Williams practices at the 2018 US Open.August 23, 2018 - Serena Williams talks with her coach Patrick Mouratoglou during practice at the 2018 US Open.August 23, 2018 - Serena Williams talks with her coach Patrick Mouratoglou during practice at the 2018 US Open.
BOTTOM HALF

Caroline Wozniacki quarter

Two-time US Open finalist and 2018 Australian Open champion Wozniacki has a marquee first-round match against 2011 US Open winner Sam Stosur and could face world No. 5 and two-time Wimbledon champ Kvitova in the quarters.

Should Wozniacki beat Stosur, she’d play either Lesia Tsurenko of Ukraine or Alison Van Uytvanck in the second round and possibly No. 28 seed Anett Kontaveit of Estonia in the round of 32.

Kvitova opens against Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium and could potentially face No. 26 seed Aryna Sabalenka in Round 3 if Sabalenka gets past fast-rising Danielle Collins, currently No. 36 in the world, in the first round.

In other matches in Wozniacki’s quarter, Russian No. 11 seed Daria Kasatkina plays Timea Babos of Hungary; 13th-seeded Kiki Bertens of the Netherlands plays Kristyna Pliskova of the Czech Republic; and No. 20 seed Naomi Osaka plays Laura Siegemund of Germany.

There's also an opportunity for Harmony Tan, who received a wild card through a reciprocal agreement betwen the USTA and the French Tennis Federation, as she plays a qualifier in the first round.



SEE ALSO: After struggling through a tough 2017, the former No. 1 Angelique Kerber is again finding the form that made her a US Open champion.

Angelique Kerber's quarter

The third round in world No. 4 and 2016 US Open champion Kerber’s section of the draw features a strong selection of exciting matches.

The German could be on track for a third-round match against No. 29 seed Dominika Cibulkova, while 2017 finalist and No. 14 seed Madison Keys could face Fed Cup teammate and 2017 semifinalist Coco Vandeweghe.

2006 US Open champion and five-time major winner Maria Sharapova could face No. 10 seed Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia in the third round, with the winner of that match potentially meeting either world No. 6 Caroline Garcia of France or No. 30 Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain in the last 16.

Kerber begins her quest for the title against Margarita Gasparyan of Russia, while Garcia opens against two-time Grand Slam singles semifinalist and former world No. 4 Johanna Konta of Great Britain. Sharapova, Suarez Navarro and Cibulkova each have first-round matches against qualifiers, while Keys faces France’s Pauline Parmentier in a rematch of April's decisive Fed Cup rubber in Marseille.

In other first-round matches, Ostapenko plays fan favorite Andrea Petkovic of Germany, and Vandeweghe meets Kirsten Flipkens of Belgium. Ranked No. 33 in the world, Alize Cornet of France is the highest unseeded player in the draw. She plays Johanna Larsson of Sweden in the first round and could meet Kerber in the round of 64.

THE MEN'S DRAW: Top seed and defending champ Rafael Nadal has never been one to shy away from a tough draw, but there must have been a collective sigh of relief amongst the Nadal camp upon learning that career-long rivals Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic both landed on the opposite side of the Mallorcan’s 2018 US Open draw.