The Hologic WTA Tour heads to New York for the final Slam of the season at the US Open. The fortnight promises to be a memorable one, as Emma Raducanu will try to defend her historic title, Serena Williams is set to play her final tournament and a host of contenders will be primed to make their mark on the biggest court in the world. 

Here's what you need to know:

When does the tournament start?

The US Open is the fourth and final leg of the Grand Slam season. Played at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, New York, the tournament features a 128-player singles draw, 64-team doubles draw, and 32-team mixed doubles draw. The tournament is played on outdoor hard courts and the women will use the Wilson US Open Regular Duty ball. 

Main draw play begins on Monday, Aug. 29 and runs for two weeks. 

When are the finals? 

The singles final will be played on Saturday, Sept. 10 at 4:00 p.m. ET

The doubles final will be played on Sunday, Sept. 11 at 12:00 p.m.

The mixed doubles final will be played on either Friday, Sept. 9 or Saturday, Sept. 10. 

Who are the top seeds?

  1. Iga Swiatek
  2. Anett Kontaveit
  3. Maria Sakkari
  4. Paula Badosa
  5. Ons Jabeur
  6. Aryna Sabalenka
  7. Simona Halep
  8. Jessica Pegula
  9. Garbiñe Muguruza
  10. Daria Kasatkina
  11. Emma Raducanu
  12. Coco Gauff
  13. Belinda Bencic
  14. Leylah Fernandez
  15. Beatriz Haddad Maia
  16. Jelena Ostapenko

Who are the defending champions?

Emma Raducanu made history last year, becoming the first Slam qualifier in the history of the sport to go on and win the title. Raducanu defeated Maria Sakkari in the semifinals and defeated Leylah Fernandez 6-4, 6-3 in the final to win her first major. 

Raducanu playing with freedom ahead of US Open title defense

In doubles, Sam Stosur and Zhang Shuai defeated Coco Gauff and Caty McNally to win their second major title as a team. 

Desirae Krawczyk and Joe Salisbury won the mixed doubles. Krawczyk became the first player in 15 years to win three consecutive mixed doubles titles. 

What does the draw look like?

Draw analysis: Serena to face Kovinic in first round

What is the prize money and ranking points on offer?

First round: $80,000/10 points
Second round: $121,00070 points
Third round: $188,000/130 points
Round of 16: $278,000/240 points
Quarterfinals: $445,000/430 points
Semifinals: $705,000/780 points
Final: $1.3 million/1,300 points
Champion: $2.6 million/2,000 points

Key storylines

Serena Williams is playing her final tournament: Earlier this month, the 23-time major champion and six-time US Open champion announced she would hang up her racquets after the US Open. Her opening round match in New York will be her fifth match of the season. She earned her first win in more than a year a the National Bank Open in Toronto, where she defeated Nuria Parrizas Diaz in straight sets. She comes into the US Open off a 6-4, 6-0 loss to defending champion Emma Raducanu.

Watch this: Emma Raducanu honors Serena Williams after Cincinnati win

Emma Raducanu under pressure: Raducanu comes into New York off a confidence-boosting week at the Western & Southern Open, where she beat Williams and Victoria Azarenka. She's defending 2,040 points, but she has already acknowledged she's looking forward to life after the US Open. Anything short of a title defense will see her ranking drop, but that's not necessarily a bad thing for Raducanu. As she's said, she's keen for a clean slate.

Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff lead the American charge: Pegula and Gauff have had strong summers, with Pegula making back-to-back quarterfinals in Toronto and Cincinnati and Gauff posting strong wins to make back-to-back quarterfinals in San Jose and Toronto. The duo also sit at No.3 on the Porsche Race to the WTA Finals Doubles Leaderboard after capturing their second WTA 1000 title of the season in Toronto. 

Gauff provides fans with optimistic injury update

Three former champions to watch: Naomi Osaka, Bianca Andreescu and Sloane Stephens know how to win in New York. While their results over the US Open Series haven't stood out on paper, there have been signs that a deep run could be coming. Andreescu did well to make the quarterfinals of her home tournament in Toronto, while Stephens has shown good form in some tight losses. 

Iga Swiatek is playing the long game

Simona Halep and Caroline Garcia primed for a run: Halep has won majors on the natural surfaces but has yet to crack through at a hard-court Slam. Given the focus and form that vaulted her to the Toronto title, that could change this year. Meanwhile, Garcia flourished in the quick conditions in Cincinnati, becoming the first qualifier to ever win a WTA 1000 title, beating three Top 10 players along the way. 

Garcia casts aside her doubts to make history in Cincy