Williams sisters put in opposite halves of draw

WIMBLEDON, England — The Williams sisters could meet again in the Wimbledon final this year.

Serena, the two-time defending champion, and Venus, a former two-time winner, were placed in opposite halves of the women’s draw Thursday — setting up a shot at a third straight final featuring the siblings.

The top-seeded Serena opens with China’s Jie Zheng. Her first tough match could come against No. 7 Jennifer Capriati in the quarterfinals — Capriati beat Serena at the French Open last month.

If she gets past that, Serena — without a major since last Wimbledon — could end up facing No. 4 Amelie Mauresmo of France.

Venus, on the same side with French Open champion and No. 2 Anastasia Myskina, starts against Switzerland’s Marie-Gayanay Mikaelian, and could meet No. 5 Lindsay Davenport in the quarters.

Nine-time champion Martina Navratilova, who received a wild card to play singles, has a first-round match against Catalina Castano of Colombia.

On the men’s side, top-seeded defending champion Roger Federer has 2001 winner Lleyton Hewitt in his half, while No. 2 Andy Roddick has perennial British contender Tim Henman in his section. Spokane’s Jan-Michael Gambill will play No. 23 seed Max Mirnyi of Belarus.

The grass-court Grand Slam tournament begins Monday and ends July 4.