Nadal gets dream draw at French Open, Serena, Sharapova poised for face-off

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Spanish tennis ace Rafael Nadal could expect an easy path to defending his title at the 2018 French Open without being drawn into the same half with several potential threats on Thursday.

The 31-year-old Spaniard, who is the top seed in Paris and who is gunning for a record-extending 11th French Open title, will start his campaign against Ukraine's Alexandr Dolgopolov.

Rafael Nadal /VCG Photo

South African Kevin Anderson is expected to be the final obstacle for Nadal in the quarter.

The third seed Marin Cilic awaits Nadal in the semi-finals, but the Croatian has to get past Juan Martin del Potro, a clay court specialist.

"The last couple of weeks have been good. Of course, having the success gives me more confidence and I'm always motivated here to play as well as possible," said Nadal, who won clay court titles in Monte Carlo, Barcelona and Rome this season.

Novak Djokovic /VCG Photo

Novak Djokovic, the 2016 champion, will start his tournament against a qualifier, but has been drawn in the same half as in-form youngsters Dominic Thiem of Austria and Alexander Zverev of Germany.

Having recovered from an elbow injury haunting him from last year, the Serbian showed a sign of comeback with his semi-final appearance in Rome last week.

Djokovic could meet David Ferrer, Roberto Bautista Agut, fourth-seeded Grigor Dimitrov and the eighth seed David Goffin en route to the semifinals.

Maria Sharapova /VCG Photo

In the women's draw, three-time winner Serena Williams, who dropped down the rankings after her pregnancy, will play her first Grand Slam match in more than one year against Czech Kristyna Pliskova after being rejected for a seeding position.

She is poised to meet her long-time rival Maria Sharapova, who also made a return to Roland Garros after two years, in the fourth round.

Sharapova missed the 2016 tournament due to a drug suspension, and failed to receive a wild card from organizers last year.

Zhang Shuai /VCG Photo

At the same time, William's elder sister Venus may face two Chinese players in a row. Wang Qiang will be her first round opponent for the second straight year, with Wang Yafan waiting for her in the second round.

Also in the bottom half, China's Zheng Saisai will meet Russian Ekaterina Makarova in the opening round.

Other three players Duan Yingying, Peng Shuai and Zhang Shuai will challenge No. 7 seed Caroline Garcia of France one after another, and Zhang hoped to refresh her best record of the third round set at the last edition.

Defending champion Jelena Ostapenko could face former world No. 1 Victoria Azarenka in the second round.

The Williams sisters /VCG Photo

Moreover, Venus and Serena Williams are set to feature in women's doubles at the French Open after being offered a wild card by tournament organizers on Thursday.

It will be the first time for the Williams sisters to play doubles at a Grand Slam tournament in nearly two years after they won the Wimbledon title in 2016.

With a total prize money of 48 million US dollars, this year's tournament in Paris is scheduled for May 27-June 10.

(With inputs from Xinhua and Reuters)