Nadal, Federer set to duke it out

NEW YORK: Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer have traveled down different roads to get to the US Open, the final Grand Slam of the season.

Nadal is considered the best in the world and now has the ranking to back it up, while Federer heads into the 2008 US Open as a four-time defending champion, looking to salvage a frustrating season.

Nadal, who is the top seed in a Grand Slam for the first time in his career, opens against a qualifier at the US Open, which runs from Monday to Sept 7 at the National Tennis Center in the New York suburb of Flushing Meadows.