The final grand slam of the year kicks off tonight AEST and is set to be one of the most enthralling and open US Opens for years.

With top seeds Andy Murray, Stan Wawrinka and Novak Djokovic all out injured, Roger Federer is the hot favourite to win his 20th grand slam on the men's side.

However, with so many stars out injured, it presents a brilliant opportunity for the next generation to finally make their mark, with the likes of Nick Kyrgios, Alexander Zverev and Dominic Thiem all in great form of late.

Meanwhile, on the women's side, Maria Sharapova returns to grand slam action, while Serena Williams is still out, leaving the draw wide open.

When

August 29 - September 11, Australian time.

Play begins at 11am local time every day, which is 1am AEST.

Where

The US Open takes place in New York at Flushing Meadows in Queens.

Prize Money

The men's and women's singles winners will receive a recordย $US 3.7 million ($A 4.7 million), while the runners-up will receiveย $US 1.825 million.

The doubles champions will receiveย $US 675,000 ($US 854,500).

Meanwhile, the prize pool will totalย $US50.4 million ($A 63.8 million). That is a $US4 million increase from last year, making it the richest tennis prize pool in history.

The Aussies

The divisive Nick Kyrgios holds the hopes of a nation once again and this time he is primed for a big assault at Flushing Meadows.

The 22-year-old recently reached the final at the Cincinnati Masters, defeating Rafael Nadal on his way to the final, which he lost to Grigor Dimitrov.

Kyrgios, the 14th seed, has drawn compatriot, John Millman in the first round. However, he could face Roger Federer in the fourth round.

Former top-20 Bernard Tomic, who has plummeted down the rankings, faces Gilles Muller in his first match and is unlikely to progress past the first few rounds.

New Australian No.2 Jordan Thompson faces a tough ask, against 13th seed, Jack Sock, while Thanasi Kokkinakis will play Janko Tipaservic.

Wildcard Alex De Minaur has a tough first round match-up, he will play Austrian, Dominic Thiem.

On the women's side, Daria Gavrilova is in career best form, defeating Dominka Cibulkova over the weekend to claim her maiden WTA title.

She will be seeded 25 for the tournament and will face a qualifier in the opening round.

Ash Barty, who has rocketed up the rankings this year, faces 21st seedย Ana Konjuh in the first round. But given Barty's form, an upset if not off the cards.

Ajla Tomljanovic and Arina Rodionova are the last of the Australian women in the draw and they will faceย Johanna Larrson and Richel Hogenkamp respectively to start the tournament.