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Big ticket showdowns on Day 1 at US Open

August 30, 2015 15:58 IST

Serbia's Novak Djokovic. Photograph: Rob Carr/Getty Images

Top-seeded world number ones Serena Williams and Novak Djokovic help launch the US Open tennis championships on Monday's opening day of the year's final Grand Slam.

Australian Open and Wimbledon champion Djokovic closes the day program at Arthur Ashe Stadium against 89th-ranked Joao Souza of Brazil.

Serena Wiliams is chasing history at the US Open. Photograph: Mike Segar/Reuters

Three-times defending US champion Williams, the Australian, French and Wimbledon champion seeking to become the fourth woman ever to complete a Grand Slam, opens the night program against 86th-ranked Vitalia Diatchenko of Russia.

Serbia's Ana Ivanovic will play the opening match at the Arthur Ashe centre court. Photograph: Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

The tournament's first match on the Arthur Ashe centre court pits seventh-seeded Ana Ivanovic of Serbia against Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia, followed by two-times US Open winner Venus Williams against Puerto Rican Monica Puig.

Rafael Nadal of Spain will play the second of the Opening Night matches on Monday. Photograph: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports/Reuters

The second Opening Night match under the lights features two-times winner Rafael Nadal of Spain, the eighth seed, against up-and-coming Borna Coric of Croatia, an 18-year-old ranked 35th.

Champion Marin Cilic of Croatia will start his title defence against Argentine Guido Pella. Photograph: Mike Stobe/Getty Images for the USTA

Ninth-seeded Marin Cilic of Croatia begins the defence of his men's title with a Louis Armstrong Stadium tilt against Guido Pella of Argentina.

Cilic follows Japan's Kei Nishikori onto the Armstrong court.

Fourth seed Nishikori, who fell to Cilic in the 2014 US Open final, faces France's Benoit Paire in his opening match.

Maria Sharapova is seeded third. Photograph: Brad Barket/Getty Images

Russia's Maria Sharapova, the third seed, closes the Louis Armstrong day session against Australian Daria Gavrilova.

Source: REUTERS
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