US Open 2023 draw: Andy Murray to play Corentin Moutet in New York

US Open 2023 draw: Andy Murray to play Corentin Moutet in New York
_130894011_murray_hit.jpgAndy Murray, who won the 2012 US Open title, reached the third round last yearVenue: Flushing Meadows, New York Dates: 28 August-10 SeptemberCoverage: Daily live text and radio commentaries across the BBC Sport website, app, BBC Radio 5 Live and 5 Sports Extra

Britain's Andy Murray will play France's Corentin Moutet in the US Open first round as he starts his latest bid to go deep at a Grand Slam.

Murray, 36, has not reached the last 16 of a major since 2017.

The former world number one has been drawn in the same quarter as fellow Britons Cameron Norrie and Dan Evans, who play Alexander Shevchenko and Daniel Elahi Galan respectively.

Katie Boulter faces Diane Parry, while Jodie Burrage plays Anna Blinkova.

Jack Draper, who retired from his second-round match at the Winston-Salem Open two days ago, has been drawn against Moldova's Radu Albot.

They are the only six British players who qualified directly for the main draw as a result of their ranking.

Liam Broady, Harriet Dart and Lily Miyazaki hope to join them by coming through three rounds of qualifying, while Emma Raducanu is missing as she continues her recovery from wrist and ankle surgeries.

The main draw of the US Open, which is the final Grand Slam event of the year, starts at Flushing Meadows on Monday.

What shape is Murray in?

Murray has been nursing an abdominal injury which forced him to pull out of recent events in Toronto and Cincinnati.

However, the 2012 champion has continued to train and practised in New York on Thursday.

Murray, who is ranked 37th in the world, narrowly missed out on a seeding for the US Open, leaving him open to a tough draw against a seeded player.

Instead, the Scot was pitted against Moutet, who is ranked 71st and reached the fourth round in New York last year.

If Murray beats the Frenchman, he could play Bulgarian 19th seed Grigor Dimitrov in the second round - who he practised with on Thursday.

What other eye-catching draws are there?

Evans, 33, could potentially play world number one Carlos Alcaraz in the third round.

The 20-year-old Spaniard starts his title defence against Germany's Dominik Koepfer, while second seed Novak Djokovic - who returns to Flushing Meadows after missing last year's event because he was not vaccinated against Covid-19 - faces France's Alexandre Muller.

The pair are widely considered the joint favourites to win the title and cannot face other until the final.

Poland's world number one Iga Swiatek, 22, starts the defence of her women's crown - and a bid for a fifth major title - against Sweden's Rebecca Peterson.

Belarusian second seed Aryna Sabalenka starts against Belgium's Maryna Zanevska and could face Britain's Burrage, who is making her US Open debut, in the second round.

Boulter, 27, could also face a tricky test if she reaches the second round. French seventh seed Caroline Garcia, who narrowly beat the British number one at the Billie Jean King Cup in April, is a potential opponent.

American two-time champion Venus Williams, 43, starts her Open era record 24th singles appearance against Spain's Paula Badosa.

Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki, 33, has returned to the sport after retiring in 2020 and the mother-of-two will face a qualifier in the first round.

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