Emma Raducanu and Carlos Alcaraz get nightmare draw at US Open mixed doubles

Emma Raducanu and Carlos Alcaraz will need to be at their very best if they are to secure US Open mixed doubles success. The duo have discovered that they have a nightmare route through the early stages of the competitions, which includes facing off against the top seeds in the first round.

Raducanu and Alcaraz are the main eyecatchers heading into the new-look mixed doubles competition, having set out their stall early when revealing their plans to join forces earlier this year - which has since sparked rumours of a romance between the pair.

However, those claims have been rebuffed, and the duo will be keen to showcase that they are a top quality duo when they take to the court later this week. Raducanu and Alcaraz will take on Jessica Pegula and Jack Draper in the first round.

The newfound pair will link up after their respective original partners, Tommy Paul and Paula Badosa, both withdrew - and their rankings meant that they instantly became the top seeding.

If Raducanu and Alcaraz are able to hit the ground running in Flushing Meadows, an equally tough task may await them in the second round. Serbian stars Novak Djokovic and Olga Danilovic are set to take on Mirra Andreeva and Daniil Medvedev in their first round tie, and the victor of that will face the wild card pair.

Djokovic and Alcaraz have faced off in high stakes contests on several occasions previously, and adding doubles partners into the mix is sure to produce a top-quality match, assuming that they are both able to navigate their respective pairs through the first round.

Elsewhere in the draw, second seeds Taylor Fritz and Elena Rybakina will take on defending champions Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori in the first round. Third seeds Casper Ruud and Iga Swiatek - who still intends to compete despite playing in the Cincinnati final on Monday - will face off against Madison Keys and Frances Tiafoe.

Aged 45, Venus Williams will also be competing. The American tennis hero will be playing alongside compatriot Reilly Opelka and the pair have been drawn against Karolina Muchova and Andrey Rublev in the first round.