U.S. Open draws are open for the taking

The 2010 U.S. Open could be the most wide open Grand Slam championship in years. World No. 1 Serena Williams has been sidelined by a mysterious foot injury creating an opportunity for a myriad of women to make a championship run at Flushing Meadows. A wrist injury will prevent Juan Martin Del Potro from defending his men's title. Let's decipher the draws.

Men's Draw – Top Half

Top-seeded Rafael Nadal will be looking to make history in New York City. The U.S. Open is the only major title that has eluded the Spaniard. Unlike past years, Nadal will come to the Open in good physical condition having taken some of the summer off to rest his ailing knees.

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The "King of Clay" will begin his quest for hard-court glory facing Teimuraz Gabashvili, who defeated Andy Roddick at Roland Garros. Nadal could take on Philipp Kohlschreiber or Gilles Simon in potentially tricky third-round matches, but Rafa should roll into the quarterfinals without being tested too severely.

In the next section of this half of the draw, David Nalbandian looms as a very dangerous No. 31 seed. The Argentine has rebounded from a lingering hip injury to put together a strong showing in the U.S. Open Series, winning the title in Washington D.C. While the seedings suggest that David Ferrer and Fernando Verdasco are the marquee names to watch in this quarter, Nalbandian looks poised for his best performance at the Open since he reached the semifinals in 2003.

If the seedings hold, Andy Murray will meet Nadal in the semis. Murray's U.S. Open Junior title win in 2004 foreshadowed the success the Scot has enjoyed at the National Tennis Center as he's risen through the rankings. Murray might take on No. 20 Sam Querrey in a spicy match in the round of 16. The lanky American defeated Murray to win the title in Los Angeles earlier this summer.

If you're looking for a player to track beyond the top four seeds, seventh-seeded Tomas Berdych is another star that jumps off the draw sheet. The Czech lost to Nadal in the championship match at Wimbledon and reached the semifinals at the French Open. John Isner landed in Berdych's quarter of the draw, but the big-hitting American may be limited by the ankle injury he suffered two weeks ago in Mason, Ohio. A Murray-Berdych quarterfinal encounter would be filled with Grand Slam intensity.

Men's Draw – Bottom Half

When Roger Federer fell to No. 3 in the rankings this summer for the first time since 2003, many "talking heads" in the tennis community speculated that the greatest men's player of the Open era was in a downward spiral.

Federer has countered that argument by doing his talking on the court. The Swiss star reached the finals in Toronto and then captured the championship in Ohio the following week. Federer will have to overcome some sizable obstacles to advance to his seventh straight U.S. Open final. The former world No. 1 could see former U.S. Open champion Lleyton Hewitt in the third round.

The quarterfinals offer the prospect of a sparkling match between Federer and fifth-seeded Robin Soderling. While the Swede has enjoyed major success at Roland Garros, Soderling's big game is well-suited for the fast courts in the Big Apple.

In the top section of the bottom half of the draw, Andy Roddick was placed in the same quarter with sixth-seeded Nikolay Davydenko. It will be intriguing to see how Roddick performs. The American has underachieved at the Slams this year and is trying to rebound from a mild case of mononucleosis. Roddick might be tested as early as the second round when he could face Janko Tipsarevic. If the 2003 U.S. Open winner advances, Roddick could have another challenging match in the third round against the No. 17 seed Gael Monfils.

The most intriguing quarter of this half of the draw includes Mardy Fish and third-seeded Novak Djokovic. Fish has been playing far too well this summer to call him a sleeper. The No. 19 seed dropped 30 pounds in the offseason and his improved mobility has been paying dividends on the court. While Fish may have to defeat Marcos Baghdatis just to advance past the third round, the American has a legitimate chance to reach the quarters.

But if Fish is going to achieve that goal, he may have to get past Djokovic, who has had an inconsistent summer. The Serbian has reached at least the semifinals in New York City the last three years, but he will need to play with more focus to duplicate that success this year.

Women's Draw – Top Half

Caroline Wozniacki has replaced Serena Williams on the top line of the women's draw. The Dane has recovered from the ankle injury that slowed her earlier this year, but is still looking to develop a primary weapon between the lines. While Wozniacki's return skills propelled her to the final at the Open last year, she's hoping her improved serve will be the difference this year. Wozniacki won't have to worry about match readiness when she arrives in New York. The top seed won the title in Montreal and has played well in the final U.S. Open tune-up in New Haven.

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Wozniacki was placed in the same section as Maria Sharapova and could face the former U.S. Open champion in the round of 16. Sharapova was dealing with ankle pain when she lost to Kim Clijsters in the singles final in Cincinnati, but should be healthy when she begins play at the Open.

She'll need to bring her "A-Game" in the early rounds. In her first match, Sharapova drew Jarmila Groth — who reached the quarterfinals at Roland Garros and the fourth round at Wimbledon — and could see hard-hitting Aravane Rezai in the third round.

No. 11 seed Svetlana Kuznetsova has endured an inconsistent season this year, but finally found her traditional form this summer. The Russian is another former U.S. Open champion who will try to battle her way through the top half of the draw. She could take on her countrywoman Maria Kirilenko in the third round and meet up with the always dangerous counter-puncher Li Na in the round of 16.

It's difficult to project how long fourth-seeded Jelena Jankovic will last in New York. The Serbian has been hampered by an ankle injury and has suffered through a forgettable summer. Jankovic is a strong candidate to be knocked out in Week One.

But there are stars primed to make a run to the quarterfinals in this portion of the draw. Agnieszka Radwanska was one of the best players in the U.S. Open Series, while Vera Zvonareva is coming off her outstanding fortnight at Wimbledon in which she reached the championship match.

Women's Draw – Bottom Half

After her improbable showing at the Open last year, Melanie Oudin will be in the spotlight this year and won't sneak up on any opponents. Oudin landed in the top section of the bottom half of the draw and may have to dig deep to survive a potential second-round match with Alona Bondarenko.

The headliner in this section of the draw is Venus Williams. While the American is going to be enshrined in the Hall of Fame at the end of her career, she hasn't been able to win a major title other than Wimbledon over the last decade. The vagaries of the draw produced an alluring potential third-round match between Williams and Tsvetana Pirnonkova. The Bulgarian upset Venus in the quarters at Wimbledon in June.

Venus' biggest challenge may be shaking off the rust generated by her weeks of inactivity. Williams was unable to play in Cincinnati and Montreal because of a knee injury. If the seedings hold, the American will take on 10th-seeded Victoria Azarenka in the quarterfinals.

The lower sections in the bottom half of the draw are loaded with talent. Former world No. 1 Dinara Safina arrives in New York as an unseeded player taking on Daniela Hantuchova. Samantha Stosur earned a No. 5 seed and hopes the arm injury which sidelined her for most of August won't be a factor in Queens. The Aussie's powerful groundstrokes should carry her to a potential fourth-round match against Elena Dementieva.

Kim Clijsters will begin the defense of her U.S. Open title against Hungarian veteran Greta Arn. The Belgian comes to the Open with momentum after winning the championship in Cincinnati. Clijsters may have to beat Marion Bartoli or Ana Ivanovic on her way to the quarterfinals. But the No. 2 seed could offer the most lethal combination of tennis versatility and championship experience in either half of the draw.