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Emma Raducanu and Jack Draper both discovered their first-round opponents for this year’s instalment of the US Open.
The tournament is the calendar year’s final Grand Slam event, held at Flushing Meadows in New York, New York.
Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka are the current defending champions, but neither played in the revamped, all-star mixed doubles tournament which took place during ‘fan week’ in Queens, with holders Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori defeating third seeds Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud in the final.
Raducanu and Draper both featured - and they faced each other in the opening round.
Raducanu, the British women’s No1, partnered defending French Open champion Carlos Alcaraz, while Draper, the world No5, teamed up with the home favourite Jessica Pegula.
Pegula and Draper won through in straight sets, and they cruised past Mirra Andreeva and Daniil Medvevdev later on Tuesday, but they were beaten by Swiatek and Ruud in the last four on Wednesday.
Now, their attentions turn back to their bread and butter: the singles. Both draws begin this Sunday, August 24.
The tournament then spans the next fortnight, with the men’s final closing on Sunday, September 14.
In the men’s draw, Draper, seeded fifth, will play a qualifier - although he does not quite know who yet with the preliminary rounds still taking place.
The Briton reached the semi-finals of this competition last year, falling to eventual champion Sinner in the sweltering heat on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Alcaraz, the second seed, has been handed a tricky opener against the huge-serving Reilly Opelka, while Novak Djokovic takes on Learner Tien, the 19-year-old American.
World No3 Alexander Zverev has been drawn against Alejandro Tabilo, while Sinner will face Vita Kopriva.
Cameron Norrie has a potential banana skin in the face of Sebastian Korda in his first-round match, and his compatriot Jacob Fearnley will play the crafty Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut.
On the women’s side, Raducanu is in a similar boat to Draper, and will find out her qualifier opponent when the final rounds are complete ahead of this weekend.
Katie Boulter has been dealt a tough draw as she faces the Ukrainian 27th seed Marta Kostyuk, while Sonay Kartal will play the Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maia, who is seeded 18th.
Defending champion Sabalenka will face Rebeka Masarova in her first round, and Iga Swiatek plays Emiliana Arango.
Victoria Mboko, who shot to stardom with her stunning title at the Canadian Open, has been handed a challenging tie against former Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova.
