Andy Murray's bid to reach a second consecutive US Open final was made harder as he was handed a difficult draw.

The world number two and second seed was runner-up in last year's championship at Flushing Meadows, losing in straight sets to world number one Roger Federer in his first Grand Slam final last September.

The draw for next week's US Open has placed Murray in the same half of the draw with the man he replaced as world number two, third seed Rafael Nadal of Spain, putting them in line for a repeat of last year's semi-final.

Yet Murray will have to have to go through the big-hitting Ivo Karlovic, Marin Cilic and Juan Martin del Potro if he is to get to the business end of the championship.

The Scot's first-round opponent will be Latvia's Ernests Gulbis, against whom he has a 3-0 record, their last meeting coming in the second round at Wimbledon when Murray won in straight sets.

Croatia's Karlovic is a potential third round opponent, and either Switzerland's Stanislas Wawrinka, seeded 19, or No.16 Cilic, another Croatian, could face Murray in round four.

Argentina's rising talent del Potro is Murray's possible quarter-final opponent with Nadal seeded to face him in the last four.

Top seed Federer, who beat Murray last Saturday in the semi-finals of the Cincinnati Masters tournament, is coming off victories at both the French Open and Wimbledon that took his total career Grand Slam titles to 15, surpassing Pete Sampras' record.

The Swiss star, who became a father for the first time five weeks ago when wife Mirka gave birth to twin girls, will begin his bid for a sixth straight US Open title against American wild card Devin Britton with Australia's Lleyton Hewitt, seeded 31, a possible third-round opponent, American James Blake (21) or Spain's Tommy Robredo (14) in round four and eighth seed Nikolay Davydenko a potential obstacle in the last eight.

The bottom quarter of Federer's half of the draw is highlighted by fourth seed Novak Djokovic, who was beaten by the world number one in the Cincinnati final, and fifth seed Andy Roddick, the American who took the Swiss to a 30th game in the final set of the Wimbledon men's singles final before eventually losing out 16-14.

Women's top seed Dinara Safina has been drawn to play Australian wild card Olivia Rogowska in the first round and is seeded to face No.5 Jelena Jankovic, last year's runner-up, in the quarter-finals.

No.4 Elena Dementieva is seeded to face fellow Russian Safina in the semi-finals, although former champion and compatriot Maria Sharapova, seeded 29th, is a possible third round opponent for Dementieva.

Second seed Serena Williams begins her title defence against fellow American Alexa Glatch, a wild card, with Russia's Vera Zvonareva her highest seeded opponent at number seven in their quarter of the draw.

An all-Williams sisters semi-final is on the cards as third seed Venus Williams is in the same half of the draw, although her path to the last four could be complicated as wild card and 2005 champion Kim Clijsters is in her quarter and a potential fourth round opponent.