Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark was seeded No. 1 at a Grand Slam tournament for the first time Tuesday, receiving the top spot at the US Open because Serena Williams pulled out with a foot injury. Wozniacki, ranked No. 2 behind Serena by the WTA, was the runner-up at Flushing Meadows last year and is the first woman since 2003 to be seeded No. 1 at the US Open without already having won a major championship. Defending champion Kim Clijsters was seeded No. 2 by the US Tennis Association, which stuck strictly to the rankings in determining the seedings. Venus Williams, the 2000-01 US Open champion, is No. 3, followed by 2008 runner-up Jelena Jankovic and French Open runner-up Samantha Stosur. Two other past US Open champions who were seeded are No. 11 Svetlana Kuznetsova and No. 14 Maria Sharapova. Serena Williams, Venus' younger sister, withdrew last week, saying she was recovering from surgery to repair cuts on her right foot. The men's seedings were announced Monday, with Rafael Nadal at No. 1, and Roger Federer at No. 2. The 2009 men's champion, Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina, withdrew Saturday because he wasn't ready to compete after having an operation on his right wrist in May. The draw for the US Open is Thursday, and play begins Monday. Kirilenko advances Russian Maria Kirilenko beat last year's finalist Elena Vesnina 6-1, 3-6, 6-1 in the first round of the Pilot Pen Tournament. On the grandstand court, Marion Bartoli of France needed three sets to get by Ukrainian Alona Bondarenko 6-7 (4), 7-6 (2), 6-3. In the men's draw, third-seeded Fernando Gonzalez, back from a knee injury that has kept him out since the French Open, lost to Radek Stepanek 6-2, 6-4. Stepanek, who went through qualifying to get into the tournament, has beaten Gonzalez four straight times. Russian Dinara Safina upset French Open champion Francesca Schiavone of Italy 1-6, 6-3, 6-1 Monday. In the men's draw, two-time Pilot Pen champion James Blake, who grew up in nearby Fairfield, beat Pere Riba of Spain 6-0, 6-1 in just 35 minutes – the fastest completed match on the ATP Tour this season.
