New York, August 26: Defending champion Serena Williams was seeded No 2 for the US Open behind Dinara Safina because the tournament stuck to its policy of strictly following the world rankings.
Roger Federer was yesterday seeded No 1 for the fifth time at the year’s last Grand Slam. He is ranked No 1 and has won the US Open five years in a row.
Safina is No 1 on the WTA Tour, which based the rankings on performances across tournaments over the preceding 52 weeks. The younger sister of former men’s No 1 Marat Safin is still seeking her first Grand Slam title. She is winless in three major finals, including a loss to Williams at the Australian Open in January.
Williams has won three of the past four Grand Slam singles championships and 11 overall, the most among active women.
–PTI