NEW YORK, Aug 29: Men's top seed Roger Federer begins the quest for his third Grand Slam title of the year against Albert Costa on Arthur Ashe Court on Monday.

Other highlights on the opening day of the US Open include the all-American match-up between twice former champion Andre Agassi and Robby Ginepri and third seed Serena Williams taking on Czech Sandra Kleinova, both night matches.

World number one Federer, winner of the Australian and Wimbledon titles this year, has yet to go beyond the fourth round at Flushing Meadows and he knows Spaniard Costa, a former French Open champion, is a tough first hurdle.

Baseliner Costa won their meeting on clay in Rome this year, but significantly he also beat Federer on hard courts at Miami in 2003. "I think on big occasions he can definitely come up with a great game," said Federer looking ahead to their match. "It's a tough first round, he has a lot of experience.

Serena Williams, who won the second of her titles here in 2002, should have little trouble against 26-year-old Kleinova who has only once avoided a first-round exit in five appearances.

"I'm excited to be back here," said Williams, who missed last year's tournament with a knee injury that also forced her out of the Olympics earlier this month. "It's been a while since I played here so I'm ready to perform. I've had a tough 12 months but the knee is getting there. I have a lot to add to my resume this year."

Elsewhere Jennifer Capriati plays her first round against Denisa Chladkova of the Czech Republic, men's French Open champion Gaston Gaudio faces compatriot Juan Monaco and third-seed Carlos Moya takes on American wildcard Brian Baker.

Tournament organisers will be keeping an anxious eye on the weather this year after torrential rain caused scheduling problems in last year's Open. Monday should see largely cloudy conditions with temperatures of about 30 Celsius. -Reuters