Andy Murray drawn Yoshihito Nishioka in US Open, Sloane Stephens looms for Serena

Top seed Novak Djokovic was handed a comfortable-looking draw on Thursday as he bids for a fourth US Open title but Serena Williams could face danger early on as the American prepares for another attempt to win a 24th major singles crown.

Former champion Andy Murray, given a wildcard as he continues to climb back from two hip surgeries, will face Japan's Yoshihito Nishioka in his first Grand Slam singles match since the 2019 Australian Open.

World number one Novak Djokovic will play Bosnia's Damir Dzumhur in his opening match at Flushing Meadows which will be held without fans this year because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The earliest seed he could meet would be a possible third-round clash with number 28 Jan-Lennard Struff who he beat easily at the Western & Southern Open in New York this week.

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Dominic Thiem, seeded two in the absence of reigning champion Rafa Nadal, opens against Spaniard Jaume Munar.

Serena Williams, seeded three, plays compatriot Kristie Ahn in round one but a meeting with 2017 U.S. Open champion Sloane Stephens, seeded 26th, is likely in round three.

Williams, bidding to win her home slam for a seventh time, is also chasing a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam title having lost her last four major finals, including the past two years in New York.

Serbian Djokovic, who tested positive for Covid-19 after an exhibition event he organised in Croatia this year, is seeking an 18th Grand Slam title which would leave him just one behind Nadal and two short of Roger Federer who is out injured.

The highest seed he could face before the quarter-finals is number 16 John Isner in round four.

Djokovic has a perfect record this year, winning all 21 matches he has played.

Last year's runner-up Daniil Medvedev is seeded third and plays Argentina's Federico Delbonis in round one.

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Fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas is up against Spain's Albert Ramos-Vinolas in round one but another young gun, fifth seed Alexander Zverev, has been handed a tough first hurdle with a match-up against big-serving Kevin Anderson who reached the final in 2017 and the Wimbledon final in 2018.

Pliskova faces Kalinina, Osaka to play Muchova

With six of the women's top 10 skipping the tournament, the Czech Republic's Karolina Pliskova is top seed and she begins her quest for her first Grand Slam title against Ukraine's Anhelina Kalinina.

Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin is seeded second and faces a tricky start against Belgium's Yanina Wickmayer.

Serena's unseeded sister Venus, playing in her 22nd U.S. Open at the age of 40, takes on 20th seed Karolina Muchova.

Former champion Naomi Osaka, who led a protest against racial injustice this week, plays fellow Japanese Misaki Doi.

Wildcard Kim Clijsters, who made a second comeback from retirement this year, plays 21st seed Ekaterina Alexandrova.

Full first round draw

Men's

Top Half

Novak Djokovic (Ser) (1) v Damir Dzumhur (Bih)

Kyle Edmund (Gbr) v Alexander Bublik (Kaz)

Joao Sousa (Por) v Michael Mmoh (USA)

Pedro Martinez Portero (Spa) v Jan-Lennard Struff (Ger) (28)

Pablo Carreno-Busta (Spa) v Yasutaka Uchiyama (Jpn)

Mitchell Krueger (USA) v Pedro Sousa (Por)

Federico Gaio (Ita) v Ricardas Berankis (Lit)

Steve Johnson (USA) v John Isner (USA) (16)

Denis Shapovalov (Can) (12) v Sebastian Korda (USA)

Thai-Son Kwiatkowski (USA) v Soon Woo Kwon (Kor)

Mohamed Safwat (Egy) v Gilles Simon (Fra)

Dominik Koepfer (Ger) v Taylor Harry Fritz (USA) (19)

Filip Krajinovic (Ser) (26) v Mikael Ymer (Swe)

Marcos Giron (USA) v Marc Polmans (Aus)

Lloyd George Harris (Rsa) v Marco Cecchinato (Ita)

Reilly Opelka (USA) v David Goffin (Bel) (7)

Stefanos Tsitsipas (Gre) (4) v Albert Ramos-Vinolas (Spa)

Maxime Cressy (USA) v Jozef Kovalik (Svk)

Juan Ignacio Londero (Arg) v Evgeny Donskoy (Rus)

Pablo Andujar (Spa) v Borna Coric (Cro) (27)

Dusan Lajovic (Ser) (18) v Egor Gerasimov (Blr)

Stefano Travaglia (Ita) v Jordan Thompson (Aus)

Attila Balazs (Hun) v Mikhail Kukushkin (Kaz)

Ulises Blanch (USA) v Christian Garin (Chi) (13)

Diego Schwartzman (Arg) (9) v Cam Norrie (Gbr)

Jason Jung (Tpe) v Federico Coria (Arg)

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (Spa) v Dennis Novak (Aut)

Peter Gojowczyk (Ger) v Hubert Hurkacz (Pol) (24)

Adrian Mannarino (Fra) (32) v Lorenzo Sonego (Ita)

Jack Sock (USA) v Pablo Cuevas (Uru)

Paolo Lorenzi (Ita) v Brandon Nakashima (USA)

Kevin Anderson (Rsa) v Alexander Zverev (Ger) (5)

Bottom Half

Matteo Berrettini (Ita) (6) v Go Soeda (Jpn)

Yuichi Sugita (Jpn) v Ugo Humbert (Fra)

Emil Ruusuvuori (Fin) v Aljaz Bedene (Slo)

MacKenzie McDonald (USA) v Casper Ruud (Nor) (30)

Benoit Paire (Fra) (17) v Kamil Majchrzak (Pol)

Salvatore Caruso (Ita) v James Duckworth (Aus)

Taro Daniel (Jpn) v Gregoire Barrere (Fra)

Jeremy Chardy (Fra) v Andrey Rublev (Rus) (10)

Grigor Dimitrov (Bul) (14) v Tommy Paul (USA)

Marton Fucsovics (Hun) v Hugo Dellien (Bol)

Frances Tiafoe (USA) v Andreas Seppi (Ita)

John Millman (Aus) v Nikoloz Basilashvili (Geo) (22)

Guido Pella (Arg) (29) v Jeffrey John Wolf (USA)

Feliciano Lopez (Spa) v Roberto Carballes Baena (Spa)

Christopher O'Connell (Aus) v Laslo Djere (Ser)

Federico Delbonis (Arg) v Daniil Medvedev (Rus) (3)

Roberto Bautista Agut (Spa) (8) v Tennys Sandgren (USA)

Gianluca Mager (Ita) v Miomir Kecmanovic (Ser)

Vasek Pospisil (Can) v Philipp Kohlschreiber (Ger)

Leonardo Mayer (Arg) v Milos Raonic (Can) (25)

Alex De Minaur (Aus) (21) v Andrej Martin (Svk)

Ivo Karlovic (Cro) v Richard Gasquet (Fra)

Andrey Kuznetsov (Rus) v Sam Querrey (USA)

Jannik Sinner (Ita) v Karen Khachanov (Rus) (11)

Felix Auger-Aliassime (Can) (15) v Thiago Moura Monteiro (Bra)

Andy Murray (Gbr) v Yoshihito Nishioka (Jpn)

Corentin Moutet (Fra) v Jiri Vesely (Cze)

Thiago Seyboth Wild (Bra) v Dan Evans (Gbr) (23)

Marin Cilic (Cro) (31) v Denis Kudla (USA)

Norbert Gombos (Svk) v Radu Albot (Mol)

Sumit Nagal (Ind) v Bradley Klahn (USA)

Jaume Munar (Spa) v Dominic Thiem (Aut) (2)

Women's

Top Half

Karolina Pliskova (Cze) (1) v Anhelina Kalinina (Ukr)

Jasmine Paolini (Ita) v Caroline Garcia (Fra)

Catherine Cartan Bellis (USA) v Tamara Korpatsch (Ger)

Anna Blinkova (Rus) v Jennifer Brady (USA) (28)

Angelique Kerber (Ger) (17) v Ajla Tomljanovic (Aus)

Caroline Dolehide (USA) v Anna-Lena Friedsam (Ger)

Ann Li (USA) v Arantxa Rus (Ned)

Tatjana Maria (Ger) v Alison Riske (USA) (13)

Marketa Vondrousova (Cze) (12) v Greet Minnen (Bel)

Francesca Di Lorenzo (USA) v Aliaksandra Sasnovich (Blr)

Viktorija Golubic (Swi) v Vera Lapko (Blr)

Robin Montgomery (USA) v Yulia Putintseva (Kaz) (23)

Kristina Mladenovic (Fra) (30) v Hailey Baptiste (USA)

Varvara Gracheva (Rus) v Paula Badosa Gibert (Spa)

Kateryna Bondarenko (Ukr) v Allie Kiick (USA)

Tereza Martincova (Cze) v Petra Martic (Cro) (8)

Naomi Osaka (Jpn) (4) v Misaki Doi (Jpn)

Camila Giorgi (Ita) v Alison Van Uytvanck (Bel)

Marta Kostyuk (Ukr) v Daria Kasatkina (Rus)

Cori Gauff (USA) v Anastasija Sevastova (Lat) (31)

Magda Linette (Pol) (24) v Maddison Inglis (Aus)

Danka Kovinic (Mne) v Lizette Cabrera (Aus)

Usue Maitane Arconada (USA) v Kaja Juvan (Slo)

Danielle Collins (USA) v Anett Kontaveit (Est) (14)

Elena Rybakina (Kaz) (11) v Katarina Zavatska (Ukr)

Irina Khromacheva (Rus) v Shelby Rogers (USA)

Madison Brengle (USA) v Lesia Tsurenko (Ukr)

Astra Sharma (Aus) v Dayana Yastremska (Ukr) (19)

Rebecca Peterson (Swe) (32) v Kirsten Flipkens (Bel)

Marie Bouzkova (Cze) v Jessica Pegula (USA)

Kateryna Kozlova (Ukr) v Whitney Osuigwe (USA)

Irina-Camelia Begu (Rom) v Petra Kvitova (Cze) (6)

Bottom Half

Madison Keys (USA) (7) v Timea Babos (Hun)

Jil Belen Teichmann (Swi) v Aliona Bolsova (Spa)

Lauren Davis (USA) v Alize Cornet (Fra)

Ysaline Bonaventure (Bel) v Shuai Zhang (Chn) (25)

Donna Vekic (Cro) (18) v Kristyna Pliskova (Cze)

Patricia Maria Tig (Rom) v Kurumi Nara (Jpn)

Tsvetana Pironkova (Bul) v Ludmilla Samsonova (Rus)

Nao Hibino (Jpn) v Garbine Muguruza (Spa) (10)

Maria Sakkari (Gre) (15) v Stefanie Voegele (Swi)

Bernarda Pera (USA) v Zarina Diyas (Kaz)

Natalia Vikhlyantsea (Rus) v Katrina Scott (USA)

Viktoriya Tomova (Bul) v Amanda Anisimova (USA) (22)

Sloane Stephens (USA) (26) v Mihaela Buzarnescu (Rom)

Vitalia Diatchenko (Rus) v Olga Govortsova (Blr)

Margarita Gasparyan (Rus) v Monica Puig (Pur)

Kristie Ahn (USA) v Serena Williams (USA) (3)

Aryna Sabalenka (Blr) (5) v Oceane Dodin (Fra)

Victoria Azarenka (Blr) v Barbara Haas (Aut)

Sachia Vickery (USA) v Taylor Townsend (USA)

Iga Swiatek (Pol) v Veronika Kudermetova (Rus) (29)

Karolina Muchova (Cze) (20) v Venus Williams (USA)

Anna Kalinskaya (Rus) v Nina Stojanovic (Ser)

Sorana Cirstea (Rom) v Christina McHale (USA)

Heather Watson (Gbr) v Johanna Konta (Gbr) (9)

Elise Mertens (Bel) (16) v Laura Siegemund (Ger)

Claire Liu (USA) v Sara Sorribes Tormo (Spa)

Viktoria Kuzmova (Svk) v Catherine McNally (USA)

Kim Clijsters (Bel) v Ekaterina Alexandrova (Rus) (21)

Ons Jabeur (Tun) (27) v Katarzyna Kawa (Pol)

Katerina Siniakova (Cze) v Kaia Kanepi (Est)

Vera Zvonareva (Rus) v Leylah Annie Fernandez (Can)

Yanina Wickmayer (Bel) v Sofia Kenin (USA) (2)

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