US OPEN
Venue: Flushing Meadows, New York Date: 31 August - 13 September
BBC coverage: Live text commentaries on the website from 1600 BST each day, regular updates on 5 live, full commentary on 5 live sports extra in week two, both finals on 5 live, tennis special on 5 live (3 September, 2000-2100 BST)

Murray was beaten by Federer in last year's US Open final

Britain's Andy Murray will play Ernests Gulbis of Latvia in the first round of the US Open, which starts on Monday.

Murray, seeded second at a Grand Slam event for the first time, beat Gulbis in round two of this year's Wimbledon and has won all three of their matches.

And the Scot, 22, could face third seed Rafael Nadal in the last four, with Roger Federer favourite to make the final from the other side of the draw.

Federer plays Devin Britton and Nadal opens against Richard Gasquet.

Fourth seed and 2007 US Open runner-up Novak Djokovic could face 2003 champion Andy Roddick in the last eight, with Federer likely to be waiting in the semis.

Murray will be expected to get past Gulbis, who is ranked 95 in the world having been as high as 38, but has a tough task if he is to land a first Grand Slam title.

His projected route through the draw, according to rankings, would take in Gulbis, Paul Capdeville, Ivo Karlovic, Marin Cilic, Juan Martin del Potro, Nadal and Federer.

Five-time defending champion Federer should have a comfortable start against American wild card Britton as he goes for a 16th Grand Slam title.

606: DEBATE Your thoughts on the draw

"If I look back at which is the most amazing year of my life, this is definitely it," Federer said at the draw.

"I have a wife, we've been together now nine years and we're very proud parents now, two sweet girls and also with the success on court I couldn't have planned it better.

"Winning my first French Open championship, and then getting the 15th (Grand Slam) at Wimbledon the way I did against Roddick in the final, it was an amazing summer and I'm still playing very well.

"I played great in Cincinnati and I hope things are also going to go well here at the US Open."

Nadal, who is on his way back after a knee injury, faces a fascinating opening tie against France's Gasquet, who recently returned after a two-and-a-half month ban for testing positive for cocaine.

Dinara Safina is the top seed in the women's draw and begins against Australian Olivia Rogowska, with defending champion and second seed Serena Williams potentially facing her sister Venus, herself a two-time US Open champion, in the semis.

Serena begins her title defence against American wildcard Alexa Glatch, while Venus takes on Russia's Vera Dushevina.

"Obviously I'm going to have a tough tournament coming up," said Serena. "Venus and I are going to play the doubles. So I'm going to do the best I can do and just try to relax when I'm out there."

Fourth seed Elena Dementieva plays a qualifier first but could come up against fellow Russian and 2006 champion Maria Sharapova as early as the third round.

Sharapova is seeded down at 29 as she makes her way back from a serious shoulder injury, and she begins against Bulgarian Tsvetana Pironkova.

One major champion in the field but not seeded is the 2005 winner Kim Clijsters, who recently came out of retirement and received a wild card, and she takes on Ukraine's Viktoriya Kutuzova.

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