Men’s Draw

Woe is Lleyton Hewitt.

At Wimbledon, he was ranked no. 2 in the world, but tournament officials dropped him down a peg in favor of Andy Roddick, the defending finalist. That one spot made a difference, as Hewitt had to contend with Roger Federer in the semifinals rather than the final.

At the U.S. Open this year, Hewitt has passed Roddick (now fourth) but fallen behind no. 2 Rafael Nadal. And once again, Federer would be his semifinal opponent.

The draw was unlucky for Hewitt, but great for Roddick, who should cruise into the fourth round, have a tough match with either Richard Gasquet or Ivan Ljubicic, and then motor into the semifinals, where he could face Nadal.

Andre Agassi has less appealing road: He will have to defeat young talent Tomas Berdych in the third round before taking on Mikhail Youzhny, a dangerous Russian, in the fourth round, and then Nadal in the quarterfinals.

For those of you who plan to be in Flushing on Monday and Tuesday, the men’s draw contains some appealing first-round matches. James Blake takes on hard-serving Greg Rusedski. The always-entertaining Justin Gimelstob (how often will he dive on a hard court?) plays Max Mirnyi, whose nickname is “The Beast.” Marat Safin, who could play Hewitt in the quarterfinals, challenges Alexander Popp, while Tim Henman will have his hands full with Fernando Verdasco, a left-handed slugger from Spain. And don’t miss an early chance to see an American teenager, 16-year-old Donald Young, against a qualifier.

As for that Federer guy, no need to rush. He’ll probably remain standing until the final ball is struck.

Women’s Draw

For the second straight major, the Williams sisters have an early date with each other – the fourth round of the U.S. Open.

Serena didn’t even last that long at Wimbledon, and considering her recent injuries and how little she has played this summer – one match – there’s a good chance she will take another early bow, perhaps to a steady Italian named Francesca Schiavone.

As for Venus, the Wimbledon champion, she has been kept down by the flu and might be an upset victim of the resurgent Daniela Hantuchova, who has had a stellar summer.

A second week in Flushing without the Williams sisters? It’s a distinct possibility, and a number of younger women – as well as the Belgians Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin-Hardenne – will be salivating at the prospect.

Clijsters, a slight favorite in a field that is nearly wide open, could meet one of the sisters in the quarter finals. Henin-Hardenne might have to defeat Mary Pierce, Amelie Mauresmo, and Linsday Davenport to reach the final.

As for Maria Sharapova, the newly minted no. 1, her first match is against Eleni Daniilidou, who upset Henin-Hardenne in the first round of Wimbledon. Daniilidou recently sprained her ankle, but if healthy she could prove difficult for Sharapova, who has missed most of the summer with injuries.

Our upset pick? Look for another “Ova” – but not one from Russia – to reach the semifinals against Clijsters. Nicole Vaidisova, a Czech, would first have to defeat two other Russians – the ailing defending champion, Svetlana Kuznetsova, and Nadia Petrova – in Rounds 3 and 4.