• US Open

Watson handed kind draw in New York

ESPN staff
August 21, 2014
Heather Watson is enjoying a good year after recovering from illness that ruined her 2013 © Getty Images
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Heather Watson has been handed a kind draw at the US Open as the British No.1 gets underway against world No.81 Romania's Sorana Cirstea.

The pair have met twice before, with Watson triumphing both times, first in Miami in 2012 where she needed three sets, then in Auckland last year where Cirstea retired.

And on the men's side...

  • Andy Murray will face world No.70 Robin Haase in the first round of the US Open, which starts in New York on Monday, but faces the prospect of a quarter-final with Novak Djokovic.
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Cirstea, though, has the preferable record at Flushing Meadows, having reached the third round in 2009. Watson has never progressed past the first hurdle.

Top seed and two-time defending champion Serena Williams faces American wild card Taylor Townsend, who reached the third round at the French Open earlier this year.

Williams has been drawn in the same quarter as Ana Ivanovic, who upset the world No.1 at the Australian Open in January.

Former champion Maria Sharapova was drawn in the bottom half so cannot meet Williams until the final, but the French Open champion faces the prospect of meeting a resurgent Caroline Wozniacki in the fouth-round and second-seed Simona Halep in the last eight.

Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova may have to get past Victoria Azarenka, Eugenie Bouchard and Williams to win her third grand slam title.

Two-time champion Venus Williams takes on fellow veteran Kimiko Date-Krum - a first-round match with a combined age of 77.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd
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