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NEW YORK, Aug. 25 (UPI) -- Top-ranked Caroline Wozniacki was placed in a section of the U.S. Open draw that sets up a potential semifinal match with Serena Williams. Wozniacki ascended to the No. 1 women's ranking without benefit of a major tournament championship. Her best Grand Slam showing was a runner-up finish to Kim Clijsters in the 2009 U.S. Open.
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She's been consistent enough through the rest of the schedule -- she's won 49 matches and five tournaments this year -- to maintain that top ranking. But the road to a potential U.S. Open title has several possible hurdles.
She is in a quarter of the draw that would have her playing either 10th-seeded Andrea Petkovic or sixth-seeded Li Na. Li was a finalist at the Australian Open and won the French Open this year.
The other section of the top half of the bracket features fourth-seeded Victoria Azarenka and No. 7-seeded Francesca Schiavone. There is also a resurgent Serena Williams, seeded just 28th because of a near yearlong layoff due to injuries. She won the U.S. Open in 1999, 2002 and 2008.
No. 2-ranked Vera Zvonareva headlines the other half of the draw, and her quarter includes eighth-seeded Marion Bartoli and No. 9 Samantha Stosur. Venus Williams, who has been slowed by injuries, is also in that section.
Third-seeded Maria Sharapova, who won this event in 2006, and fifth-seeded Petra Kvitova, the 2011 Wimbledon champion, are in the other quarter of Zvonareva's half of the draw.
The U.S. Open begins Monday. The women's singles final is scheduled for Sept. 10. Two-time defending champion Kim Clijsters, ranked third in the world, is missing the tournament because of injury.
