Riske seeded 13th for U.S. Open
McMurray native Alison Riske was given the No. 13 seed in the women’s draw for the U.S. Open tennis tournament in Flushing, N.Y.
The U.S. Tennis Association quietly posted the women’s and men’s singles draws online, without the usual TV hoopla.
Riske, who reached the fourth round of the Australian Open, the only major tournament to be played so far in 2020, will play Tatjana Maria of Germany in the first round. Riske is currently ranked No. 19 in the WTA rankings. The 33-year-old Maria is ranked No. 93 and has advanced past the second round of a major tournament only one time in her career, reaching the third round at Wimbledon in 2015.
It appears to be a favorable draw for Riske. If she defeats Maria, Riske will then play the winner of a match pitting unseeded players, Arantxa Rus of the Netherlands (ranked No. 72) and American Ann Li (No. 133).
The U.S. Open is scheduled to begin Monday, without spectators.
Only two of the top eight women in the WTA rankings entered the hard-court tournament. Among those missing are No. 1-ranked Ash Barty and 2019 U.S. Open champion Bianca Andreescu.
The defending men’s champion, Rafael Nadal, and 20-time Grand Slam title winner Roger Federer are also among those absent in New York this year.
Top-ranked Novak Djokovic did decide to play, though, and was drawn to face 107th-ranked Damir Dzhumhur in the first round.