Gambale's U.S. Open foe revealed

If Billerica's young tennis ace, Mary Gambale, makes it to the second round of the U.S. Open next week, she's likely to have a match to remember.

Her second-round opponent, barring a monumental
upset, would be the top-seeded and top-ranked Russian champion, Maria Sharapova.

First, however, Gambale has to get past her first-round opponent, the lesser-known Dally Randriantefy of Madagascar, which will be no easy task.

Randriantefy, 28, is ranked 48th in the world in singles. She turned pro in 1994 and has earned $608,849 in prize money, including $119,363 in singles play this year.

She has played in 19 Grand Slam events, advancing to the third round of the U.S. Open once and the second round once in four tries.

Gambale, 16, is ranked 245th in singles. She turned pro last year and has made $18,619 in prize money, including $11,898 in singles this year.

This will be Gambale's first foray into the main draw of a Grand Slam event. She qualified by winning the USTA 18-under championship in California earlier this month.