US Open Tennis 2013 Draw: Full Breakdown of Men's and Women's Field

The 2013 U.S. Open draw has been set. 

Defending champions Andy Murray and Serena Williams will both be in New York this year to defend their Grand Slam titles, but the competition is fierce as the final major championship of the 2013 season is officially upon us. 

Released on Thursday, this year's draws for the men's and women's singles bracket are littered with international talent. Between past champions Murray, Juan Martin del Potro, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and five-time Open champ Roger Federer, the men's draw will be as heated as ever. 

On the women's side, Williams is in the top half of a draw that includes Agnieszka Radwanska and Li Na, while No. 2 seed Victoria Azarenka commands respect in the bottom half of a draw that includes Sara Errani and Caroline Wozniacki as potential semifinal opponents. 

Let's take a look at some of the paths in which the ATP Tour's top stars will have to travel to reach their respective final below. 

For a complete look at the men's and women's draws from the 2013 U.S. Open, visit USOpen.org. 

Men's Draw Breakdown

Although he's had a rough 2013 Grand Slam season, you can't mention the U.S. Open without mentioning Federer. 

The Swiss star is steadily trending in the wrong direction (semifinals at Australian Open, quarterfinals at French Open and second round at Wimbledon), but there's no one in the field with his pedigree at this tournament. 

A No. 7 seed for the final Grand Slam of the year, FedEx faces the possibility of seeing Nadal in the quarterfinals. The ATP World Tour Twitter account noted as much when the draw was released:

Federer needs one more U.S. Open crown to break a three-way tie with Jimmy Connors and Pete Sampras for the most wins in the "Open era" of the tournament. His first-round opponent will be Grega Zemlja. 

If the dream matchup between Nadal and Federer does come to fruition, New York Post reporter Marc Berman notes that it will be the first showdown between the two legends at the U.S. Open:

Elsewhere, the defending champion will have earned his second U.S. Open title if he hoists the trophy at Arthur Ashe Stadium for the second straight year. 

According to Live Tennis, Murray is in for a stiff test if you study his potential opponents:

As noted by Beyond the Baseline, one such opponent could be Djokovic in the semifinals:

Murray will face Michael Llodra in the first round but could see Victor Hanescu in the second round and either Juan Monaco or Martin Klizan in the third round. Moving across the draw, Nicolas Almagro and No. 5 seed Tomas Berdych pose threats to Murray before a match with Djokovic is even a possibility. 

Elsewhere, Djokovic and del Potro could see each other in the quarterfinals if everything holds true to seed, while No. 4 seed David Ferrer has to feel good about looking at his section of the draw, where only Richard Gasquet is a top-10 man. 

Eurosport.com posted this tweet with a look at how the quarterfinals should shake out on paper:

Since we know that draws rarely stay true to the highest seed, there's a good chance that tweet won't hold water by the time we reach the quarters in New York City. 

Women's Draw Breakdown

On the women's side, clear-cut favorite Serena Williams will be looking for her fifth career U.S. Open crown and third since 2008.

The No. 1 seed will face Francesca Schiavone in the first round. 

As noted by ESPNTennis on Twitter, Williams' stiffest competition could very well come in the form of Azarenka, who would not see the American star until the tournament final:

Williams lost to Azarenka in the WTA Western & Southern Open on Aug. 18, but it was Serena who got the best of the Belarusian in last year's tournament final. 

One notable absence from the women's side of the draw is Maria Sharapova, who withdrew from the tournament on Wednesday, per USA Today, due to an injury. 

Ben Rothenberg of The New York Times noted on Twitter that the Open quarterfinals on the women's side could be starkly different than what we're used to seeing in a Grand Slam event:

Eurosport.com confirmed his theory with this tweet:

Elsewhere, Petra Kvitova, Wozniacki and Errani pose as threats to Azarenka reaching the final from the lower half of the draw, while Williams could be seeing Rogers Cup finalist Magdalena Rybarikova in the third round. 

Fellow Americans Jamie Hampton, Sloane Stephens, Lauren Davis and Venus Williams were all seeded in the upper fourth of the women's draw, lending to the idea that only one woman from the United States will be around by the quarterfinals. 

There are no seeded Americans in the lower half of the women's draw. 

Safe money lies with Williams and Azarenka making strong pushes toward the Open crown, but don't discount solid performers such as Na, Radwanska, Errani and Kvitova from making some noise. No. 11 seed and 2011 U.S. Open champion Samantha Stosur is another name to watch. 

Now that we know the direction in which tennis stars will have to move to reach subsequent rounds, all that's left is the waiting. We'll have to wait until Monday, Aug. 26, before tournament action officially begins, but the men's and women's singles finals will be here before we can blink. 

2013 US Open Schedule

Follow B/R's Ethan Grant (@DowntownEG) on Twitter.