World number one men's tennis player Roger Federer of Switzerland plays Taiwan's Wang Yeu-tzuoo, while women's number one Amelie Mauresmo of France faces a qualifier in the first round of the U.S. Open next week.
The draw was held Wednesday, and Federer will begin defense of his title in New York against a man ranked 108 places below him. Federer is bidding to become only the third player in history to win three consecutive U.S. Open titles.
World number two Rafael Nadal of Spain takes on wild card Mark Philippoussis of Australia in his first match. Third seed Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia plays Feliciano Lopez of Spain. Fourth seed David Nalbandian of Argentina takes on Michael Berrer of Germany.
American Andre Agassi, making his final appearance at the tournament, plays Andrei Pavel of Romania in the first round. Agassi plans to retire from tennis after the U.S. Open.
In the women's draw, French Open champion and second seed Justine Henin-Hardenne of Belgium plays Maria Elena Camerin of Italy in the first round. Third-seeded Maria Sharapova of Russia faces Michaella Krajicek of the Netherlands, and fourth seed Elena Dementieva of Russia plays American Laura Granville.
The tournament starts August 28 at the U.S. Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.