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FLUSHING, N.Y. - The USTA today announced that defending US Open champion and world No. 1 Roger Federer of Switzerland and world No. 1 Maria Sharapova of Russia will be seeded No. 1 at the 2005 US Open in men's and women's singles, respectively. The 2005 US Open will be played at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y., August 29 - September 11.

Federer, the reigning US Open and Wimbledon champion, will be followed No. 2 Rafael Nadal of Spain, the reigning French Open champion; No. 3 Lleyton Hewitt of Australia, the 2001 US Open champion; No. 4 Andy Roddick, the 2003 US Open champion; and No. 5 Marat Safin of Russia, the reigning Australian Open champion and winner of the 2000 US Open.

For 2005, the US Open continued the practice of following the ATP Entry System and WTA Tour rankings to determine the men's and women's singles seeds. This is the fourth consecutive year that the US Open has seeded 32 players in both singles events.

Federer, 24, has won nine titles this year, including the ATP Masters Series events in Indian Wells, Miami, Hamburg and Cincinnati. The five-time Grand Slam champion has held the No. 1 world ranking since January 2004.