Australia’s tennis aces enjoy 44-year first at US Open

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Australia’s tennis aces enjoy 44-year first at US Open

Enjoying a quiet revolution, Australia’s tennis stars will hunt in packs with their biggest and most menacing US Open contingent in almost half a century.

For the first time since 1980, Australia will have 10 men’s players inside the world’s top 100 entering the final grand slam of the year starting on Monday.

But unlike 44 years ago, when world No.36 Phil Dent led a batch of outsiders and veterans including Paul McNamee, Peter McNamara, John Alexander and Mark Edmondson, Australia will have two seeds in New York.

World No.10 Alex de Minaur, back after the disappointment of having to withdraw from a scheduled Wimbledon quarter-final blockbuster with Novak Djokovic because of a hip injury, and newly-crowned Montreal Masters champion Alexei Popyrin will spearhead the ********.

Jordan Thompson fell painfully short of giving Australia three men’s seeds at a US Open for the first time since 1975 after missing a protected place in the draw by one rankings spot.

Thompson suffered the cruel fate of having to upset world No.1 and eventual champion Jannik Sinner last week in Cincinnati to climb into the top 32.

Thompson, though, could yet jag a late seeding if any player above him withdraws before Friday’s draw.

Rounding out Australia’s double-digit contingent in the world’s top 100 are Rinky Hijikata, who made a storming run to last year’s Open fourth round as a wildcard, James Duckworth, Thanasi Kokkinakis, Chris O’Connell, Max Purcell, Aleksandar Vukic and Adam Walton.

The strength in numbers is a far cry from even seven years ago when Thompson and Nick Kyrgios were Australia’s only two top-100 men’s representatives at Flushing Meadows.

In 2011, it was only an 18-year-old Bernard Tomic. The year before, there was just Lleyton Hewitt.

Popyrin, like his fellow 25-year-old Sydney-born, Spain-raised neighbour from Alicante de Minaur, has no doubt Australia’s pack of great mates are feeding off each others’ success on court.

“It’s not only that that helps us all to propel up the rankings, it’s also just kind of the camaraderie off the court too,” Popyrin told AAP on Tuesday from New York.

“We play golf, we practice with each other – I’ve got a few Aussie boys already set up for next week.

“So it’s just everything in general that kind of helps us and stuff and propels us.

“I saw others having such a good year and it kind of pushed me to work ******* to try and have as good as a year as he’s having.

“Like Max has had a pretty good year also. Everybody has had really good years and, for me, that just shows you where *********** tennis is at right now.

“It’s at a really, really high level.”

Three more Australians are contesting men’s US Open qualifying this week, with Li Tu already through to the second round following a 6-4 6-4 win over Spain’s Alejandro Moro Canas.

Marc Polmans and Alex Bolt play on Wednesday.

Veterans Daria Saville and Ajla Tomljanovic and wildcard Taylah Preston will fly the flag in the women’s singles, with another nine more Australians looking to qualify.

Talia Gibson and Priscilla Hon have advanced to the second round, with Arina Rodionova, Maya ******, Kimberly Birrell, Astra Sharma, Olivia Gadecki, Maddison Inglis, Destanee Aiava all in action on Wednesday.

All up, Australia will have anywhere from 13 to 25 players in the singles main draws at the New York major.

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