U.S. OPEN Roddick draws opening challenge

He will face the only opponent who beat him during the hard-court season.
NEW YORK (AP) -- Venus Williams gets to play a qualifier in the first round of the U.S. Open.
Andre Agassi starts off against someone who's 10-17 in 2003.
Andy Roddick, though, won't get a chance to ease into the last Grand Slam tournament of the year.
A final between No. 4 Roddick and No. 1 Agassi is possible thanks to Wednesday's draw, but first things first. Roddick was drawn to begin with a tough match against Tim Henman -- the only player who beat him during the summer hard-court season.
"If Roddick gets through the first round," U.S. Davis Cup captain Patrick McEnroe said at the draw ceremony at United Nations headquarters, "he should be in very good shape to get through to the semis."
Favorite
Roddick leads the calendar-year ATP Champions Race and, with three titles in the past month, heads the list of men's favorites at the season's last Grand Slam tournament, which starts Monday.
He's 20-1 on the hard-court circuit, winning titles at Indianapolis, Montreal and Cincinnati. The lone loss was against four-time Wimbledon semifinalist Henman in Washington, D.C.
Henman won that event and is currently ranked 33rd. The top 32 players were seeded for the Open, so he is the top player Roddick possibly could have met in the first round.
Overall, Roddick is 30-2 with four titles and a semifinal appearance at Wimbledon since pairing with coach Brad Gilbert after a first-round loss at the French Open.
"I feel good right now," Roddick said at last week's Cincinnati Masters. "I don't think I'd be winning as many matches if I wasn't confident."
Eventually, he could meet Australian Open runner-up Rainer Schuettler in the quarterfinals, where other possible matchups are: eight-time major champion Agassi vs. No. 5 Guillermo Coria, 2001 Open winner Lleyton Hewitt vs. French Open champion Juan Carlos Ferrero, and Wimbledon champ Roger Federer vs. No. 7 Carlos Moya.
Coria knocked off Agassi in the French Open quarterfinals.
Agassi's match
Agassi will open against Alex Corretja, twice a finalist at Roland Garros but a first-round loser 10 times this year -- including Tuesday at a tournament on Long Island.
Agassi, at 33 the oldest No. 1 in ATP Tour computer ranking history, won the U.S. Open in 1994 and 1999. He lost last year's final to Pete Sampras.
With Sampras all but officially retired, and Serena Williams sidelined by left knee surgery, it's the first time since 1971 that neither defending champion is participating.
The most intriguing potential women's quarterfinal pits 2000-01 champion Venus Williams against three-time major winner Jennifer Capriati.
"Without Serena playing this year, it certainly opens the door for a couple of other contenders," McEnroe said.
The other possible women's final-eight matchups: No. 1 Kim Clijsters vs. No. 5 Amelie Mauresmo, 1998 champion Lindsay Davenport vs. No. 8 Chanda Rubin, and French Open champion Justine Henin-Hardenne vs. No. 7 Anastasia Myskina.