To see a number of American names in the Men’s Singles Qualifying draw is not unusual. There were eleven American men in the draw in 2016, and sixteen this year.
Yet what is particularly encouraging for the country without a Men’s Singles Grand Slam Champion since Andy Roddick succeeded on home soil more than a decade ago, is the make-up of a number of players going deep in the tournament and/or eventually qualifying outright for the Australian Open main draw.
In 2016, the likes of Jared Donaldson, Frances Tiafoe, struggled massively. The two met in the first round of qualifying, with Tiafoe winning only to be knocked out in straight sets in the following round. This time, Donaldson (20) is in the main draw directly (just) and Tiafoe (18) won three straight matches to earn his place in the draw.
Bjorn Fratangelo (23) lost in the qualifying round last year, and then lost in the main draw first round as a lucky loser. This time he also features after winning his final match against Hiroki Moriya.
Reilly Opelka (19) cruised through his three matches without dropping a set. The former Junior Wimbledon Champion did not feature in the Australian Open in any degree last year due to a foot injury. Ernesto Escobedo (20), a California native, also did not play in Australia last year. This time, he also qualified, surviving a tough encounter against an in-form Yuki Bhambri in the final round.
Finally, many will remember Noah Rubin (20) another former Junior Wimbledon winner from last year. He was awarded a wildcard and proceeded to knock out seventeenth seed Benoit Paire in 2016 before losing in the second round. After an injury-ridden 2016, Rubin proved his form in Australia is consistent, qualifying well by knocking out the thirty-second and eleventh seed in consecutive matches.
Five American qualifiers in comparison to only three from last year. Tim Smyczek (27) Ryan Harrison (24) and Taylor Fritz (19) were the only successful Americans in qualifying last time round. Their successful runs from last year have largely acted as a springboard for their 2017 campaigns. Both Harrison and Fritz have improved their ranking sufficiently to enter the main draw on merit. Tim Smyczek in comparison was unfortunate to have been drawn in the same qualifying section as compatriot Frances Tiafoe. Winning his first two matches, Smyczek then took Tiafoe to three sets before going down.
Looking at the qualifiers this time around, the oldest is Fratangelo at twenty-three. Amongst them, Fratangelo, Tiafoe and Escobedo are in touching distance of the Top 100 whilst Rubin and Opelka can solidify their Top 200 status with the points earned this week.
They join Fritz, Donaldson, Harrison, Michael Mmoh (18), Jack Sock, John Isner, Sam Querrey, Steve Johnson, and Donald Young, in a fourteen-strong American contingent in Australia.
They make the United States the single most represented country in the Men’s draw this year, dwarfing the likes of Spain (9) and even the home nation Australia (also 9).
Strength in depth has not been the problem for the USA in Slam draws, strength in the number of players that can go deep into the tournaments is. The United States had a single representative in the quarter-finals of any Grand Slam singles draw last year with Sam Querrey making the Wimbledon quarter-finals. That was the United States first quarter-finalist since Mardy Fish made it to that stage at Wimbledon in 2011, and John Isner and Andy Roddick did the same at the US Open that year.
To suggest that any of these qualifiers could go that deep into this event is improbable. However, for many of them qualifying for a Grand Slam (many for the first time though some may have received wildcards in the past), offers a certain degree of belief and assurance that a wildcard does not necessarily offer.
A qualifying place is earned directly through working hard through three rounds of tough matches. A wildcard is only offered to players whose rankings are not strong enough to make it in directly. The wildcard is often a gamble on the potential talent of a young player, not necessarily what they have already achieved on the main tour.
Only Fratangelo had had previous success in qualifying draws, making it through to Wimbledon last year, so for the others it is a new success that should stand them in good stead for the coming season.
Some of these players have featured in their home Slam, the US Open, previously, thanks to wildcards. However, by succeeding on foreign soil for the first time, they can attempt to prove to the wider world that they are players to be reckoned with.
