by James Kent

Created on: August 19, 2011   Last Updated: August 20, 2011

Qualifying for the U.S. Open tennis tournament is much like qualification for the three other grand slams (Wimbledon, Australian Open, French Open). First of all players are selected based on their ranking. Typically the top 32 players in the world would qualify automatically, and the majority would expected to be seeded for the tournament. However, further players are also selected based on their ranking. So, as a general rule, it pays to be highly ranked going into the tournament to stand a good chance of being one of the 72 players automatically put through to the first round.

There are also wild cards that are put through to the tournament. However, it is worth bearing in mind that this being at the US Open, a preference is likely to be given to US players. And also players that are well-known. Therefore, if you are a non-American, and not very well known, your chances of being selected for the U.S. Open are slim.

There is still a chance of playing in U.S. Open tennis tournament through the qualification. Qualifying will start on August 23 for the 2011 tournament. There are 32 places, held back that can be gained through qualification. That is 16 places for men and 16 for women. The qualification draw will be competitive 128 men compete with the winner of each competition gaining a place in U.S. Open draw. The situation is the same for the women. The qualification tournament will go on for one week, just prior to the start of the tournament for real. Supporters will also be allowed in for free and this year there will be new state-of-the-art video scoreboards to stay updated.

The U.S. Open is a highly sought-after event, and technically the final grand slam of the year. It is played in New York, with impressive facilities throughout. The top players in the world will be keen to compete and battle it out for $1 million in prize money for both the men and women.

Although it’s tough to qualify for this tournament the experience of playing in such an event makes it all worth whiled. As always, qualifiers and wildcard entries spring a few surprises and get through to the latter stages. It is certainly not the case that all qualifiers should expect to lose in the first round and then go home. One significant advantage of playing in the qualifying tournament is the much-needed match practice, which may give you an edge on a higher ranked player in the first round.

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