Australia’s US Open stocks have risen further with Alex de Minaur declaring himself a starter at the year’s final grand slam in New York.
Apart from a doubles cameo at the Paris Olympics, de Minaur hasn’t played since ruefully withdrawing from his scheduled Wimbledon quarter-final blockbuster with Novak Djokovic.
But the world No.10 has taken to social media to post a “little update” on the hip injury that threatened to curtail the rest of his season.
“Been working hard trying to recover from my injury,” he wrote on Instagram.
“It’s been very tough missing tournaments and (I’m) excited to say I’ll be playing (the) US Open.
“Thanks to all the support I’ve gotten. It’s definitely helped me through these tough times. There’s always light and the end of the tunnel.”
De Minaur climbed to a career-high No.6 in the world with his run to the last eight at The All England Club.
He has dropped four spots after being sidelined for a month and missing the marquee Open lead-up events in Montreal and Cincinnati.
But the 25-year-old will still have the protection of a top-16 seeding at Flushing Meadows, meaning he won’t face a higher-ranked rival until the fourth round.
De Minaur’s best run in New York came in 2020 when he made the quarter-finals of a slam for the first time.
His inclusion will give Australia at least 11 players in the men’s singles main draw.
Fellow Sydney-born, Spain-raised 25-year-old Alexei Popyrin will be seeded at a major for the first time after soaring to 23rd in the rankings after winning the Montreal Masters on Tuesday.
De Minaur and Popyrin teamed up at the Paris Games but crashed out in the first round of the doubles.
The in-form duo will spearhead a promising Aussie challenge, also featuring Jordan Thompson, Rinky Hijikata, James Duckworth, Max Purcell, Thanasi Kokkinakis, Adam Walton, Christopher O’Connell, Aleksandar Vukic and Tristan Schoolkate.
Schoolkate and fellow emerging West Australian Taylah Preston were on Thursday granted wildcards following breakthrough seasons on tour.
Schoolkate began the season outside the top 200 before rising almost 100 places over the next five months.
The 23-year-old hit world No.176 in July, thanks to an impressively consistent run that included runs to at least the quarter-final stage at eight ATP Challenger events.
The 23-year-old went all the way to the trophy in Guangzhou, China, beating fellow Aussie Adam Walton for the biggest title of his career.
Preston is one of Australia’s brightest teenage talents, also surging from outside the top 200 to world No.134 in March.
The 18-year-old reached her biggest final at the WTA 125K event in Puerto Vallarta in February, before heading to San Diego and winning her first WTA main-draw match.
That win was against world No.42 Magdalena Frech, one of two top-100 wins she has notched in 2024.
The powerful ball-striker also made her Billie Jean King Cup debut for Australia in April, clinching the decisive point against Mexico.
Preston became the first teenager to make a winning Billie Jean Cup debut for Australia since Ash Barty in 2013 and, by winning that tie, Australia will return to the competition finals in November.
Preston joins countrywomen Ajla Tomljanovic and Daria Saville in the Open women’s singles main draw.
The US Open starts on August 26, with qualifying getting underway from next Tuesday.
