Caro & Kim's Paths To Glory

They were the last two standing here last year and are tied for most titles this year, and on Thursday, Kim Clijsters and Caroline Wozniacki - the Top 2 seeds at this year's US Open - saw their paths, as the draw was done at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Wozniacki, the runner-up here last year and this year's No.1 seed, should have a smooth path through her first two matches, but has some troublesome opponents from the third round on. In the third round she is set to play No.26 seed Lucie Safarova, who won their only previous meeting; in the fourth round she is set to play No.14 seed Maria Sharapova, who has won both of their previous meetings; and in the quarters she is projected to meet No.8 seed Li Na, who has won their last two meetings (and is 2-1 overall).

Also in Wozniacki's quarter is No.11 seed and former US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova, who has a first rounder against Kimiko Date Krumm, who, at 39, is the oldest to rank Top 50 since Billie Jean King did it at 40.

Leading the second quarter are No.4 seed Jelena Jankovic and No.7 seed Vera Zvonareva, both of whom have had a taste of Grand Slam finals (Jankovic here in 2008, Zvonareva this year at Wimbledon) but are both still seeking their first majors. Agnieszka Radwanska and Yanina Wickmayer, the No.9 and No.15 seeds, are also lurking in that section of the women's draw.

Clijsters, who made a fairytale run to the title last year in her first Grand Slam tournament out of retirement, is the No.2 seed and will begin against Hungarian Greta Arn in a first-time meeting. Clijsters hasn't lost to any of the seeds she could face before the quarters but from there it could get tougher, as Elena Dementieva, Alisa Kleybanova and Dinara Safina have all had wins over her; and though she is 3-0 on Sam Stosur, the No.5 seed is always improving.

In the semifinals, Clijsters could face a variety of threats, none more threatening than No.3 seed Venus Williams, who has won this title twice before and has the most Grand Slam titles out of everyone in the draw with seven (with Serena Williams and Justine Henin out, that is by far the most, with no one else having more than three). No.6 seed and French Open champion Francesca Schiavone and No.10 seed Victoria Azarenka also lurk in that quarter.

Two years ago she came here ranked No.1 and now she is unseeded; despite that, Ana Ivanovic is always one to watch. The 2008 French Open champion is in No.21 seed Zheng Jie's section of the draw, and if she makes it through that section and past No.13 seed Marion Bartoli, Clijsters awaits.