Former champions Samantha Stosur and Lleyton Hewitt are feeling a touch of deja vu after being handed devilish draws for the US Open starting on Monday.
Stosur opens against a qualifier but has again landed in a deadly quarter of the women’s draw with career nemesis Victoria Azarenka, while Hewitt must be cursing his wretched luck yet again after being handed a likely second-round confrontation with former champion Juan Martin del Potro.
Fellow Australians Bernard Tomic and Marinko Matosevic didn’t fare much better either on Friday, both facing early-round showdowns with seeded foes.
Tomic, with just one win to his credit since Wimbledon, plays Albert Ramos for a probable second-round shot at Japan’s world No.12 Kei Nishikori, with Matosevic, desperate to break his grand slam duck after 10 first-round defeats at the majors, drew the resurgent Tommy Rodredo, the tournament’s 19th seed.
Contesting her first event since splitting with long-time coach David Taylor last week, Stosur should ease her way into the second round – but then a series of testing and familiar challenges loom.
The 2011 champion is expected to meet veteran Daniela Hantuchova in the second round and Russian rival Nadia Petrova in round three.
Two years ago, Stosur outlasted Petrova 7-6 (7-5) 6-7 (7-9) 7-5 in a three-hour, 16-minute epic before going on to win the title.
Czech seventh seed Petra Kvitova, one of only two players to conquer Stosur in 11 matches this American hardcourt swing, is likely to be lying in wait in the fourth round.
If she makes the last eight, Stosur is scheduled for a rematch of her thrilling quarter-final last year with second-seeded Azarenka, which the Belarusian won in a third-set tiebreaker.
After eight straight losses to Azarenka, Stosur finally notched her maiden win over the two-time Australian Open champion in the final of the Southern California Open two weeks ago.
Stosur has since parted ways with Taylor and will work with Fed Cup captain Alicia Molik at Flushing Meadows.
World No.1 Serena Williams is on the top half of the draw, with Italian fourth seed Sara Errani or Danish sixth seed Caroline Wozniacki Stosur’s expected semi-final opponent if Australia’s big hope can make another series run at the title.
The only other Australian so far in the women’s main draw, teenager Ashleigh Barty, takes on Spaniard Estrella Cabeza Candela in the opening round.
Hewitt, set for his 13th and possibly last US Open tilt, has spent an entire career battling rough draws – and so it continues for the former world No.1 and 2001 champion.
The 32-year-old plays American Brian Baker, with the victor almost certain to strike 2009 champion del Potro, seeded sixth this time around.
Australian wildcard James Duckworth makes his US Open main-draw debut against American Tim Smyzcek.
Four more Australians – Nick Kyrgios, Casey Dellacqua, Olivia Rogowska and Anastasia Rodionova – need one more win each to successfully qualify for the main draw.
Kyrgios, the world’s top-ranked junior, upset Brazilian ninth seed Joao Souza 6-3 6-7 (6-8) 6-4 in the second round of qualifying on Friday, Dellacqua clubbed Frenchwoman Claire Feuerstein 6-2 6-1, Rogowska beat Richel Hogenkamp of the Netherlands 4-6 6-3 6-4 and Rodionova powered past Japan’s Mayo Hibi 6-4 6-2.