Australia's Nick Kyrgios' return to form has been rewarded with a protected seeding for the US Open.
The world No.18 has been seeded 14th for the final grand slam of the year and it paves the way for a potentially softer draw in the early rounds at Flushing Meadows.
No seed can meet another seed until the third round.
Kyrgios' seeding comes after he arrested a mid-season rankings slide to 23rd after reaching the Cincinnati Masters final this week.
Playing his best tennis of the season, Kyrgios took the scalp of Rafael Nadal in straight sets before going down 6-3 7-5 (7-5) to Grigor Dimitrov in the final.
The result ensured Kyrgios jumped five rankings places and with Stan Wawrinka, Novak Djokovic, Kei Nishikori and world No.11 Milos Raonic missing from the Open draw, the 22-year-old is well placed to make it through to the second week.
Nadal is seeded No.1 at the US Open for the first time since 2010.
He returned this week to world No.1, a ranking he last held in 2014.
That year's French Open was the last time the Spaniard was seeded No.1 at any major.
The man Nadal replaced at the top, Andy Murray, is seeded No.2 with Roger Federer No.3.
Alexander Zverev is No.4, and 2014 US Open champion Marin Cilic is No.5.
Daria Gavrilova is the only Australian player seeded in the women's draw.
The world No.26 going into this week's Connecticut Open, where she has progressed to the semi-finals, will be the 25th seed.
Australia's highest-ranked women's player, Gavrilova continued her US Open build-up with a straight-sets win over Kirsten Flipkins to reach the last four in Connecticut.
The Czech Republic's Karolina Pliskova is making her debut as the top-seeded woman at any grand slam tournament.
After 2016 US Open runner-up Pliskova, Simona Halep is the women's No.2 seed, followed by Wimbledon champion Garbine Muguruza at No.3.
Defending champion Angelique Kerber is No.6.
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