US Open: Serena Williams top seed, Maria Sharapova fifth

Two-time defending champion Williams won the US Open in 1999, 2002, 2008, 2012 and 2013.

World number one Serena Williams is the top women's seed as she attempts to win a third successive US Open title.

The tournament is the 32-year-old's last chance to win a Grand Slam in 2014, having failed to reach the last eight of the year's first three majors.

French Open runner-up Simona Halep is seeded second, with Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova third.

Britons Heather Watson and Johanna Konta are in the main draw for the tournament, which starts on Monday.

The pair will learn their first-round opponents when the draw is made from 17:00 BST on Thursday.

French Open champion Maria Sharapova, who won the title at Flushing Meadows in 2006, is seeded fifth.

Victoria Azarenka, beaten in the past two US Open finals, is seeded 16th after an injury-hit year.

American five-time champion Williams is hoping to win her 18th Grand Slam title, equalling the feats of Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova.

Women's top 16 seeds: 1) Serena Williams, 2) Simona Halep, 3) Petra Kvitova, 4) Agnieszka Radwanska, 5) Maria Sharapova, 6) Angelique Kerber, 7) Eugenie Bouchard, 8) Ana Ivanovic, 9) Jelena Jankovic, 10) Caroline Wozniacki, 11) Flavia Pennetta, 12) Dominika Cibulkova, 13) Sara Errani, 14) Lucie Safarova, 15) Carla Suarez Navarro, 16) Victoria Azarenka.