U.S. Open tennis: Raducanu-Collins, Shapovalov-Rublev potential big early matches

Aug. 26 (UPI) -- Emma Raducanu and Danielle Collins could star in a potential big early matchup at the 2022 U.S. Open, with main draw play for the hard-court Grand Slam starting Monday in Flushing, N.Y.

Raducanu, of England, the No. 11 player in the WTA rankings, will face Alize Cornet, of France, in the first round Monday at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. The defending U.S. Open singles champion beat Canadian Leylah Fernandez in last year's final.

The 2022 U.S. Open will air on ESPN platforms through Sept. 11.

The winner of the Raducanu-Cornet match will face American Taylor Townsend or Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic in the second round.

Collins, an American, is No. 19 in the WTA rankings. She will face No. 44 Naomi Osaka of Japan in the first round.

The winner of that matchup will play Kaja Juvan of Slovenia or a qualifier in the second round. The winner of that second-round matchup could meet Raducanu, if she wins her first two matches.

No. 1 Iga Swiatek of Poland will face Italian Jasmine Paolini in the first round. The winner of that match will meet American Sloane Stephens or Belgium's Greet Minnen in the second round.

No. 24 Amanda Anisimova will face Kazakhstan's Yulia Putintseva in the first round. Anisimova could meet American Sofia Kenin in the second round, if Kenin beats Germany's Julie Niemeier.

Anisimova and Kenin share a quadrant of the draw with Swiatek, but can't meet the world's top player until the fourth round. American Jessica Pegula (No. 8) can't face any of those players until the quarterfinals, but she could meet No. 9 Garbine Muguruza of Spain in the fourth round, if both players advance.

American Serena Williams announced earlier this month that she plans to play the U.S. Open and then "move on" from tennis.

The 23-time Grand Slam champion will meet Danka Kovinic of Montenegro in the first round. The winner of that matchup will get a tough test in the second round, a potential meeting with No. 2 Anett Kontaveit of Estonia.

"What a moment! Looking forward to this," Kovinic tweeted Thursday when she saw the draw and her matchup with Williams.

No. 12 Cori "Coco" Gauff will face a qualifier in the first round. Gauff could meet fellow American Madison Keys as early as the third round. She could meet Halep in the fourth round and No. 3 Maria Sakkari of Greece in the quarterfinals.

On the men's side, No. 1 Daniil Medvedev of Russia, the defending champion, will face American Stefan Kozlov in the first round. Nick Kyrgios of Australia and Roberto Bautista Agut are among the top players who could meet Medvedev in the fourth round.

No. 2 Rafael Nadal of Spain will face Australia's Rinky Hijikata in his men's singles opener. Nadal could face No. 14 Diego Schwartzman of Argentina as early as the fourth round. No. 9 Andrey Rublev of Russia, No. 19 Denis Shapovalov of Canada and No. 7 Cameron Norrie of England are among the top players Nadal could meet in the quarterfinals.

Shapovalov could find it tough to reach that match. He will battle Switzerland's Marc-Andrea Huesler in the first round. The winner of that match will face Spain's Jaume Munar or Roberto Carballes Baena in the second round. The winner of that match could meet Rublev in the third round.

The women's singles final will be at 4 p.m. EDT Sept. 10. The men's singles final will air at the same time Sept. 11. Both matches will air on ESPN and ESPN Deportes.

The winner of each title will receive $2.6 million.

TV schedule

All times EDT

Monday

First round at 11 a.m. on ESPN Deportes; noon on ESPN; 7 p.m. on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Deportes

Tuesday

First round at 11 a.m. on ESPN Deportes; noon on ESPN; 7 p.m. on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Deportes

Wednesday

Second round at 11 a.m. on ESPN Deportes; noon on ESPN; 7 p.m. on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Deportes

Thursday

Second round at 11 a.m. on ESPN Deportes; noon on ESPN; 6 p.m. on ESPN2; 7 p.m. on ESPN2, ESPN Deportes

Sept. 2

Third round at 11 a.m. on ESPN Deportes; noon on ESPN; 6 p.m. on ESPN2; 7 p.m. on ESPN2, ESPN Deportes

Sept. 3

Third round at 11 a.m. on ESPN2; 11:15 a.m. on ESPN Deportes; 7 p.m. on ESPN2

Sept. 4

Round of 16 at 11 a.m. on ESPN; noon on ESPN Deportes; 7 p.m. on ESPN2

Sept. 5

Round of 16 at 11 a.m. on ESPN; noon on ESPN Deportes; 7 p.m. on ESPN2, ESPN Deportes

Sept. 6

Quarterfinals at noon on ESPN; 7 p.m. on ESPN

Sept. 7

Quarterfinals at noon on ESPN; 7 p.m. on ESPN Deportes

Sept. 8

Women's semifinals at 7 p.m. on ESPN, ESPN Deportes

Sept. 9

Men's semifinals at 3 p.m. on ESPN; 7 p.m. on ESPN Deportes

Sept. 10

Women's final at 4 p.m. on ESPN, ESPN Deportes

Sept. 11

Men's final at 4 p.m. on ESPN, ESPN Deportes