US Open Tennis 2015 Draw: Complete Bracket Analysis and Preview

Merlisa Lawrence CorbettAug 27, 2015

The 2015 U.S. Open draw ceremony produced intriguing matchups and potential pitfalls for No. 1 seeds Serena Williams and Novak Djokovic.

Williams, winner of the last four Grand Slams and the past three U.S. Opens, is trying to win her 22nd Slam. Meanwhile, Djokovic, winner of nine Grand Slams, including two of the last three, vies for his first title at Flushing Meadows since 2011.

The top quarter of the women's draw, led by Williams, reads like a who's-who among American female tennis players. Williams' quarter includes Sloane Stephens, Venus Williams, Coco Vandeweghe and Madison Keys.

It's not all about Serena. While Williams is the clear favorite, she has to navigate a field of 127 other players who have the same goal.

As evidenced by last year's men's final, which featured Marin Cilic and Kei Nishikori, upsets happen.

The following is your guide to first-round must-see matches, dangerous sleepers and everything else you need to know for a "Slammin" 2015 U.S. Open.

Men's Favorites with Easy Draw

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Roger Federer during a match at the Western & Southern Open.

Roger Federer (No. 2)

Seeded No. 2, Federer has to be ecstatic about his draw. The 17-Slam winner can almost coast into the second week. Federer may be tested by one of the big servers, Ivo Karlovic or John Isner. He could face Tomas Berdych in the quarterfinals and Stan Wawrinka or Andy Murray in the semifinals en route to a finals showdown with Djokovic.

Novak Djokovic (No. 1)

While Djokovic's draw doesn't appear to be as easy as Federer's, it pretty straightforward until he reaches a potential quarterfinal match against Rafael Nadal. Vasek Pospisil, Andreas Seppi and David Goffin are all that stand in his way from that quarterfinals showdown with Rafa.

Men's Favorites with Tough Draw

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Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

Rafael Nadal during the 2015 Western & Southern Open.

Rafael Nadal (No. 8)

Before Nadal can worry about a potential quarterfinals match against Djokovic, he has to get out of the first round. Nadal opens against the talented young gun Borna Coric. But Nadal also faces a potential third-round match with Fabio Fognini, who has beaten him twice this year, and a fourth-round match with big-hitting Milos Raonic. If Nadal manages to survive those players, he faces Djokovic in the quarterfinals and perhaps Nishikori in the semifinals.

Kei Nishikori (No. 4)

Speaking of Nishikori, you have to wonder whom he offended to end up with this draw. Nishikori takes on the talented Frenchman Benoit Paire in the first. He could face veterans Radek Stepanek in the second round and Tommy Robredo in the third round. Gael Monfils could await Nishikori in the fourth round. His quarterfinals opponent could be the always frustrating David Ferrer or Grigor Dimitrov. Djokovic probably awaits Nishikori in the semis.

Women's Favorites with Easy Draw

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Pavel Golovkin/Associated Press

Maria Sharapova serves during 2015 Wimbledon match.

Maria Sharapova (No. 3)

Sharapova skipped the U.S. Open series and hasn't played a match since Wimbledon. Luckily for her, she drew an easy road to the semifinals.

However, once she gets there, her nemesis Serena Williams awaits. Other than a tricky first-round match against Daria Gavrilova, who upset Sharapova in Miami, the 2006 U.S. Open champion has few truly dangerous players in her quarter.

Svetlana Kuznetsova is an aging and ailing two-time Slam champion. Sharapova's biggest pre-quarterfinals challenge could be rising star Elina Svitolina.

Caroline Wozniacki (No. 4)

On paper, Wozniacki's draw looks treacherous. She has two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, 2011 U.S. Open winner Sam Stosur, Wimbledon finalist Garbine Muguruza, last year's Indian Wells winner Flavia Pennetta and hard-hitting Andrea Petkovic in her quarter.

However, those women have something in common: They've been struggling as of late. Outside of Muguruza, who can turn hot in an instant, Wozniacki should feel confident about her chances.

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Women's Favorites with Tough Draw

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Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

Serena Williams during the finals of the Western & Southern Open.

Serena Williams (No. 1)

Serena Williams' path to clinching the calendar slam includes a quarter with talented young Americans and three women who have beaten her in the past three years. Williams quarter has sister Venus Williams, Sloane Stephens, Madison Keys, Coco Vandeweghe and Belinda Bencic, who defeated Williams at the Rogers Cup two weeks ago.

Simona Halep (No. 2)

Simona Halep fought her way past Sharapova to grab the No. 2 ranking and seeding, and this is what she gets? Halep has Victoria Azarenka, Sabine Lisicki and French Open finalist Lucie Safarova in her quarter. She faces a possible third-round match with the crafty Alize Cornet. Then she could get French Open semifinalist Timea Bacsinszky in the fourth round. Possible quarterfinal opponents include Angelique Kerber or Safarova. She would play Petra Kvitova or last year's semifinalist Wozniacki in the semis.

Outlook for American Men

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Associated Press

John Isner goes for forehand volley during the Western & Southern Open.

John Isner (No. 13) and Jack Sock (No. 28) are the only two seeded American men. So the outlook is, as expected, dismal.

If there is any surprise produced by an American man, it's probably going to come from an unseeded player not even on the radar. Mardy Fish, playing in his final U.S. Open, will be the sentimental favorite.

Teen Frances Tiafoe earned a spot in the main draw by winning the USTA juniors championship. He faces Serbian Viktor Troicki, No. 22, in the first round.

Isner usually makes a good go of it and reaches the fourth round. However, don't expect much from this bunch. By the second week, all the American men will probably be spectators.

Outlook for American Women

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Tom Uhlman/Associated Press

Madison Keys hits a backhand slice at the 2015 Connecticut Open.

The outlook for American women is far better. Unfortunately, all of the seeded American women ended up in the same quarter of the draw. Or course there is No. 1 and all-time great Serena Williams. She could face Sloane Stephens in the third round, Keys in the fourth round and her sister Venus in the quarterfinals. Stephens has to face big-serving American Coco Vandeweghe in the first round!

It's a star-spangled shame.

Keep an eye on Louisa Chirico, the American teenager from New Jersey who made a splash at the Citi Open with upset wins over Alize Cornet and Heather Watson, en route to the quarterfinals.

Must-See Early Round Matches

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Associated Press

Andy Murray and Nick Kyrgios after their match at the 2015 Australian Open.

Best Women's First-Round Matches

Ana Ivanovic (No. 7) vs. Dominika Cibulkova

Andrea Petkovic (No. 18) vs. Caroline Garcia

Venus Williams (No. 23) vs. Monica Puig

Sloane Stephens (No. 29) vs. Coco Vandeweghe

Eugenie Bouchard (No. 25) vs. Alison Riske

Best Men's First-Round Matches

Andy Murray (No.3) vs. Nick Kyrgios

Rafael Nadal (No. 8) vs. Borna Coric

Kei Nishikori (No. 4) vs. Benoit Paire

Richard Gasquet (No. 12) vs. Thanasi Kokkinakis

Giles Simon (No. 11) vs. Donald Young

Dangerous Sleepers

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Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

Karolina Pliskova hits a backhand during a match at the Rogers Cup in Toronto.

Karolina Pliskova (No. 8 )

The past two years, Serena Williams walked away with an additional $1 million at the U.S. Open because of bonus earnings won during the U.S. Open Series.

This year, despite winning the Western & Southern Open, Williams has already lost out on winning the series. Right now Pliskova leads the series. The big-serving Czech has 40 wins on the season. When under pressure, Pliskova tends to throw too many unforced errors. But her ball-striking is fierce.

Angelique Kerber (No. 11)

Angelique Kerber has won four titles this season. Only Serena Williams (5) has more. Kerber has 39 wins. Only Williams (48), Pliskova (42) and Halep (40) have more. Keep an eye on this lefty.

Ivo Karlovic (No.21)

Ivo Karlovic, aka Dr. Ivo, served his 10,000th ace this season. He's also having his best season since 2008, when he reached a career-high No. 14. The tallest man (6'11") ever ranked in the Top 100, Karlovic can go on an ace-hurling roll. He hit a record 45 aces in a win over Tomas Berdych in Halle. Karlovic wants to break the all-time aces record (10,237) held by Goran Ivanisevic. With a weapon like this, he could be this year's Marin Cilic.