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Ajla Tomljanovic will make her tennis comeback at the US Open after a nine-month injury lay-off, as she was paired against Panna Udvardy in the New York draw.
Ajla Tomljanovic will make her long-awaited return to tennis at the US Open after a nine-month injury lay-off, back on the New York stage she lit up in historic fashion last year with her famous victory over Serena Williams.
In Thursday's draw for the season's final grand slam, confirmation of the return of Australia's top woman player to the circuit came when the 30-year-old was paired with Hungary's Panna Udvardy in her comeback match.
But Australia's buoyant men's players have very different paths at Flushing Meadows, with No.1 Alex de Minaur set to face a qualifier in his opener while the ever-improving Aleksandar Vukic will be up against Germany's Olympic champion Alexander Zverev.
And something will have to give when the flying Max Purcell faces his fellow Sydneysider Chris O'Connell in the first round.
Tomljanovic's return for her first match since the BJK Cup finals last November following surgery on her knee and a long battle to get fully fit again is a delight for Australian tennis after a barren year for the country's leading women players.
She has been practising in New York at the venue where she brought down the curtain on the career of the legendary Williams last year by winning their third-round match 7-5 6-7 (4-7) 6-1 in a match that captured the world's imagination at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Tomljanovic, whose ranking has dropped to 130 after she had soared as high as 32, went on to reach the quarter-finals before being knocked out by Ons Jabeur. Her opponent Udvardy is No.124 on the WTA computer.
Tomljanovic is one of only three guaranteed Australian women starters in the main draw as the qualifiers continue.
Daria Saville, also on the comeback trail after injury, is set for a potential second-round meeting with reigning champion and top seed Iga Swiatek if she can get past US teenager Clervie Ngounoue in the first round.
Swiatek will meet Sweden's Rebecca Peterson in the first round.
Queensland's Storm Hunter has a tough opener, up against Czech No.10 seed Karolina Muchova, who reached the French Open final before losing to Swiatek in June.
Australia's men have been in fine form on the American swing, but Purcell, who took world No.1 Carlos Alcaraz to three sets in the Cincinnati Open quarter-final last week, and O'Connell can feel disappointed about being paired together, with the winner set for a potential second round date with No.3 seed Daniil Medvedev.
But like 13th seed de Minaur, Thanasi Kokkinakis and Alexei Popyrin will both face qualifiers in the first round.
WHO THE AUSSIES PLAY IN THE FIRST ROUND AT THE US OPEN (PREFIX DENOTES SEEDING):
Men's singles
13-Alex de Minaur v Qualifier
Jordan Thompson v Botic van de Zandschulp (NED)
Thanasi Kokkinakis v Qualifier
Aleksandar Vukic v 12-Alexander Zverev (GER)
Max Purcell v Chris O'Connell
Rinky Hijikata v Paval Kotov (RUS)
Alexei Popyrin v Qualifier
Jason Kubler v Matteo Arnaldi (ITA)
Women's singles
Storm Hunter v 10-Karolina Muchova (CZE)
Daria Saville v Clervie Ngounoue (USA)
Ajla Tomljanovic v Panna Udvardy (HUN)
