Safina handed favourable draw while Clijsters avoids big guns

 WORLD number one Dinara Safina will begin her US Open campaign against Australian youngster Olivia Rogowska at Flushing Meadows.

 TOP OF THE PILE: Number one seed Dinara Safina has been given a kind draw at the US Open and will face Australian youngster Olivia Rogowska

Safina, who has come in for criticism for being seeded ahead of defending champion Serena Williams, is yet to capture her first grand slam title, despite having reached three finals.

Williams, meanwhile, begins her campaign against unseeded fellow American Alexa Glatch and is the same half of the draw as sister and third seed Venus Williams, who begins against Vera Dushineva of Russia.

Elsewhere, last year's finalist Jelena Jankovic of Serbia will meet Italy's Robert Vinci, while compatriot and former world number one Ana Ivanovic has been handed a tricky tie with Ukraine's Kateryna Bondarenko.

Fourth seed Elena Dementieva is yet to learn her fate and will face an as yet unidentified qualifier, while 2006 champion Maria Sharapova, seeded 29th opens against Bulgaria's Tsvetana Pironkova.

Portugal's ear-piercing youngster Michelle Larcher De Brito faces France's Mathilde Johansson And former world number one Kim Clistjers, playing in her first major tournament since making her comeback, has avoided the big guns and will meet Viktoriya Kutuzova of Ukraine.