US draw puts Federer, Djokovic on quarterfinal collision course

NEW YORK - Five-time champion Roger Federer could find himself up against Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals of the US Open, where Serena and Venus Williams could meet in a third-round blockbuster.

Federer, the second seed, opens against Japan's Yoshihito Nishioka, anchoring a bottom quarter of the men's singles draw announced on Thursday that also features sixth seed Djokovic, the reigning Wimbledon champion who bested the Swiss great in the final at the Cincinnati Masters last week.

Fourth seed Alexander Zverev and seventh seed Marin Cilic, the 2014 US Open champion, are also in Federer's half of the draw. So is mercurial Australian Nick Kyrgios, the 30th seed who could face Federer in the third round.