Sparse Canadian content in the US Open qualifying on a collision course
There is not much to choose from in the US Open qualifying from among the representatives of our Canadian tennis powerhouse.
And, because the draw gods are just that way, the two who are vying for a spot in the singles main draw on the men's side ended up in the same section of the draw.
Philip Bester, who is playing the qualifying at a Grand Slam tournament for the first time in his career, could make it. Peter Polansky, who is an old hand at these things, could make it.
Sadly, they both cannot make it, because they're in the same section of the draw in the event, which begins on Tuesday. The two play their first-round matches on Wednesday.
Polansky and Bester paired up to win the doubles title at the $100,000 Challenger event in Granby, Que. last month.
Bester would seem to have the easier path, with his first round against a 24-year-old graduate of USC who had stellar results on the American junior level and in college, but who has just broken into the top 200 on the pro tour. Nishikoka, his potential second-round opponent, is the left-handed Japanese teenager who edged out 14-year-old Félix Auger Aliassime at the Quebec's breakout event in Granby last month.
As for Polansky, he faces 20-year-old Kyle Edmund, a Brit of the same junior generation as junior Nick Kyrgios, Dominic Thiem and Canadian Filip Peliwo, who just broke into the top 100 last week for the first time. If he wins he could face young American junior prospect Stefan Kozlov.
In the best-case scenario, both Canadians would get through and meet in the final, guaranteeing at least one more Canadian in the singles main draws.
That won't happen on the women's side. Barring a last minute stroke of good fortune, the draw is Canadian-free.
Gloucester, Ont.'s Gabriela Dabrowski is sitting in the worst seat in the house, next available into the draw. But the 23-year-old has to hope someone withdraws at this late date. There are half a dozen players in the qualifying with protected injury rankings; without them, she would have made it with her singles ranking at the deadline, which was No. 230.
She's a little higher than that now, but it's too late.
Blainville, Que.'s Aleksandra Wozniak could have used her own injury ranking to play the qualifying. But she is playing her first competitive tennis since last year's US Open this week in Winnipeg; she preferred to save her limited number of exemptions, which include a maximum of two Grand Slams, for 2016.
