The draw has been released for this year’s U.S. Open, which kicks off Monday. However, there are a few spots left that need to be filled. Don’t worry, though: That’s being taken care of with the qualifying tournament currently going on at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
The draw features up-and-comers and veterans on the comeback trail among the entrants, battling it out for a spot in the main draw. One doesn’t have to wait to see until the start of the big event to see world-class tennis on display, and best thing about the event—at least to the fans—is that admission goes for the low-low price of free!
Rain earlier in the week has thrown the schedule of play back some, so if you’re in the New York area, you can still catch a ton of matches featuring some good players.
Such as:
Akgul Amanmuradova: The top seed in the qualifying tournament, Amanmuradova is coming off a quarterfinal appearance at the WTA tour stop in Cincinnati a couple of weeks ago. There, she came through the qualifying rounds and advanced with wins over Kimiko Date Krumm and number-two-ranked player at the time Jelena Jankovic. Her big game can scare some seeded players at the Open if she gets through the preliminary stages.
Michelle Larcher de Brito: While the teenager from Portugal’s results haven’t caught up with the decibels she generates on court, she’s doing quite fine here. She has advanced to the final round of qualifying quite easily and is another win away from getting in the main draw. To say she has a bright future ahead of her would be an understatement as she’s already reached the top 100 before in her career. It’s just a matter now of getting there again and continuing to rise.
Lourdes Dominguez Lino: The former top-40 player is one of the tour’s veterans whose best result this year is a third-round showing at the French Open. The majority of her success on tour has come on the clay, but at this stage in her career, the hard courts of the U.S. Open shouldn’t pose too many challenges to her.
Mirjana Lucic: It’s something to think about that Lucic’s best performance at Flushing Meadows came in the last millennium! The former Wimbledon semifinalist had as bright a future in the game as any young prodigy, but a variety of factors derailed her from that path. However, she’s determined to get back on it with performances that have brought her ranking into the 150s—all at the age of 28. Power never goes out of style in the women’s game, and Lucic has a decent amount of it, perhaps enough to even carry her into the field of 128.
So who will be the next veteran or tour rookie to advance to compete among the elite? The final round of qualifying will showcase the battle-tested players eager to make a move against the top seeds.
Van Sias publishes the blog, Tennis Talk, Anyone, which takes a look at all aspects of the professional and amateur game.
