Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal could meet in the U.S. Open final for the first time.

The No. 1-seeded Federer and No. 3 Nadal were drawn into opposite halves of the field for the U.S. Open, which begins Monday. They have played in seven major finals as Nos. 1-2, including at each of the other three Grand Slam tournaments, with Nadal holding a 5-2 edge.

But because Nadal recently fell to third in the rankings, there was a possibility the two men who have dominated tennis in recent years would wind up on the same side of the bracket in New York.

Instead, 15-time Grand Slam champion Federer has No. 4 Novak Djokovic and No. 5 Andy Roddick in his half. Federer, who is seeking a sixth consecutive U.S. Open championship, edged Roddick 16-14 in the fifth set of the Wimbledon final in July.

The potential men's quarterfinals are Federer vs. No. 8 Nikolay Davydenko, and Roddick vs. Djokovic in the top half; No. 2 Andy Murray vs. No. 6 Juan Martin del Potro, and Nadal vs. No. 7 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the bottom half.

Nadal could face Murray in the semifinals for the second straight year at the U.S. Open; Murray upset Nadal in 2008 to reach his first Grand Slam final.

Nadal's first Grand Slam action since his fourth-round loss at the French Open will start with an intriguing opponent: Richard Gasquet, the former top-10 player coming off a 2 1/2-month suspension for testing positive for cocaine.

Federer starts off against American wild-card recipient Devin Britton, an 18-year-old who won the NCAA singles championship for Mississippi in May.

Federer, trying to become the first man since the 1920s to win the tournament six years in a row, could play two-time major champion Lleyton Hewitt in the third round, U.S. Davis Cup player James Blake in the fourth, and French Open runner-up Robin Soderling or U.S. Open Series winner Sam Querrey in the quarterfinals.

With a dominant first set on Sunday, Roger Federer showed that he's in top-of-the-world form after his time off to become a father. A 6-1, 7-5 victory over Novak Djokovic brought him the Cincinnati Masters title, his first championship since his twin girls were born last month.

"That's the special part, especially winning for the first time as a dad," Federer said. "It gets me going emotionally a little bit, because I know it's been a wonderful summer."

His stellar season can get even better beginning next week at the U.S. Open. The Swiss star has won the last five titles there, and his performance on Sunday at Mason, Ohio, suggested he's fully capable of another. Djokovic hadn't lost a set all week, but was never in the title match.

Federer took control right away, breaking Djokovic's serve in a second game that lasted 13 minutes and 22 points overall. The 22-year-old Serb kept up better in the second set but knew he was headed for his fourth runner-up finish in a Masters tournament this year. 

Serena Williams has qualified for the Sony Ericsson Championships - Doha 2009, set to take place for the second year in a row at the Khalifa International Tennis Complex in Doha, Qatar, from October 27 to November 1. World No.2 Williams joins world No.1 Dinara Safina, who was the first player to qualify two weeks ago. The world's Top 8 singles players and Top 4 doubles teams from the 2009 Sony Ericsson WTA Tour season will compete for the coveted season-ending title and a share of the record prize money of $4.45 million.

Williams has had a stellar 2009 season, winning two of the first three Grand Slams (Australian Open, Wimbledon) and reaching another final at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami. She held the No.1 ranking for 11 weeks, from February 2 to April 19, before Safina took over. She also leads the prize money leaders this year with $3,950,466. The 27-year-old has also won three doubles titles this year with Venus Williams(Australian Open, Wimbledon, Stanford); as a result, Serena and Venus Williams currently rank No.2 in the Doubles Race to Sony Ericsson Championships - Doha 200.

Serena has achieved great results this year, impressing everyone with her tremendous performances at the Grand Slams," said Chairman and CEO of the Tour. "I congratulate Serena on qualifying for the Sony Ericsson Championships and look forward to what promises to be one of the best Tour season finales in history"

We congratulate Serena on qualifying for the Sony Ericsson Championships - Doha 2009 and look forward to another exciting Sony Ericsson Championships" said Aldo Liguori Corporate Vice President and Head of Global Communications & PR for Sony Ericsson.

"I am really excited about qualifying for the Sony Ericsson Championships for the ninth time in my career" Williams said. "It's never easy and it's never a guarantee, so I am thrilled to be going to Doha and competing against some of the best players in the world."

Sony Ericsson, one of the largest global mobile phone manufacturers known for style and innovation, is committed to bringing entertainment and glamour to tennis, and taking the sport to new places and new audiences. Sony Ericsson's style and technology has attracted a wider interest to women's tennis and provided unique opportunities to the stars of the Tour.

The Championships were first played in 1972 and since then the event has been held in such notable venues as Madison Square Garden, New York City; the Olympiahalle in Munich; Staples Center in Los Angeles; and the Recinto Ferial Casa de Campo in Madrid. Former singles champions include Tracy Austin, Kim Clijsters, Chris Evert, Evonne Goolagong, Steffi Graf, Martina Hingis, Martina Navratilova, Gabriela Sabatini, Serena Williams, Justine Henin and Venus Williams, Cara Black, Liezel Huber defending champions in doubles, currently lead in the Doubles Race to Doha with 6,750 points.