2017 US Open: Roger Federer, Nick Kyrgios on 4th round collision course

World No. 3 Roger Federer and Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios are likely to come to blows during the fourth-round of the forthcoming US Open. Kyrgios, the 14th seed, could prove to be a dangerous opponent for Federer, who enters the fourth and final Grand Slam of the year as the odds-on favourite.

Federer's path to Grand Slam No. 20 got a little trickier Saturday after World No. 2 Andy Murray pulled out of Flushing Meadows. Typically, the withdrawal out of the second-seed (Murray) should benefit the third-seeded (Federer) in a reshuffled draw. However, Murray's eleventh-hour withdrawn has instead benefitted 2014 US Open champion Marin Cilic, who has been moved into the prime slot at the bottom of the draw.

Murray joined Novak Djokovic, Stan Wawrinka, Milos Raonic and Kei Nishikori in the list of high-profile absentees at the 2017 US Open. Kyrgios will kick off his campaign against fellow Australian John Millman in the Round of 128 on Tuesday. Federer, meanwhile, will square off against American teenager Frances Tiafoe in his first-round tie.

2017 US Open: Roger Federer vs Nick Kyrgios in the fourth-round?

Federer and Kyrgios last met in a classic three-set battle in the semi-finals of the Miami Open. While Federer prevailed 7-6, 6-7, 7-6 at Key Biscayne, Kyrgios got the better of the Swiss master during their only other meeting at the Madrid Masters in 2015. Both matches were decided on third-set tie-breakers.

Rafael Nadal, the No. 1 seed, and Federer are slated to emerge from a loaded top half of the draw to clash in the semi-finals. Federer is looking forward to a potential showdown against his arch nemesis. "I'd be happy to play him here (in the semi-finals). We never played in New York so I think that would be fun for everybody involved. There are 60-plus players in between us that don't agree in our section that we should make it to the semis. We have our work cut out there. I don't think we're both thinking that far ahead. I'm sure it will be a nice prospect," Federer told reporters on Saturday.

The 2017 US Open will be held at Flushing Meadows, New York, between Aug. 28 and Sept. 10. Federer and Nadal are the odds-on favourites to prevail at the final major of the year. While Nadal made history at Roland Garros without dropping a set, Federer prevailed at the Australian Open and Wimbledon.