Four Unseeded Slam Champs in US Open Draw

The USTA today announced that two-time defending US Open champion and world No. 1 Roger Federer of Switzerland and reigning Australian Open and Wimbledon champion and world No. 1 Amelie Mauresmo of France will be seeded No. 1 at the 2006 US Open in men's and women's singles, respectively. The 2006 US Open will be played at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y., August 28-September 10.

Federer, the reigning US Open, Wimbledon and Australian Open champion, will be followed by No. 2 Rafael Nadal of Spain, the reigning French Open champion; No. 3 Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia; No. 4 David Nalbandian of Argentina; and No. 5 James Blake of Fairfield, Conn.

Mauresmo, who is seeded No. 1 at the US Open for the first time, is followed by No. 2 seed Justine Henin-Hardenne of Belgium, the 2003 US Open champion and reigning French Open champion; No. 3 seed Maria Sharapova of Russia, the 2004 Wimbledon champion; No. 4 seed Elena Dementieva of Russia, the 2004 US Open runner-up; and No. 5 seed Nadia Petrova of Russia.

World No. 2 Kim Clijsters of Belgium, the reigning US Open champion, withdrew from the tournament on Sunday with a left wrist injury.

In addition, five former Grand Slam champions are unseeded in the men's and women's draws, including two-time US Open champions Andre Agassi (1994 and '99) and Serena Williams (1999 and '02), both of the U.S., 2000 US Open champion Marat Safin of Russia, 1998 French Open champion Carlos Moya of Spain and 2002 Australian Open champion Thomas Johansson of Sweden.

No. 9 seed Andy Roddick of Austin, Texas and No. 16 seed Ana Ivanovic of Serbia clinched the 2006 US Open Series men's and women's titles, and will both play for a potential $1 million in bonus prize money at the US Open.

Federer, 25, has won seven titles this year, including the ATP Masters Series events in Indian Wells, Miami and Toronto. Federer will attempt to join Ivan Lendl (1985-87) and John McEnroe (1979-81) as the only men to win three consecutive US Open men's singles titles in the Open Era. The eight-time Grand Slam champion has held the No. 1 world ranking since January 2004.

Mauresmo, 27, has won four titles this year, including her first two Grand Slam titles at the Australian Open and Wimbledon. Mauresmo will attempt to become the first woman to win three Grand Slam titles in one year since Serena Williams in 2002. She has reached the quarterfinals or better at the US Open every year since 2001, reaching the semifinals in 2002.

For 2006, the US Open continued the practice of following the ATP and WTA Tour rankings to determine the men's and women's singles seeds. This is the fifth consecutive year that the US Open has seeded 32 players in both singles events.

The singles draws for the 2006 US Open will be conducted Wednesday, August 23 at 11 a.m. at the United Nations in New York City.
-- ATP