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Australia's tennis stars are enjoying career-best form and rankings ahead of the US Open, the season's final grand slam starting in New York next week.
Alexei Popyrin and Max Purcell have soared to career-high rankings inside the world's top 50 in a huge boost to Australia's US Open hopes.
After winning just five matches in a deflating 2022 campaign, Popyrin has surged to 40th in the rankings after a magnificent month on clay and hard courts.
The former French Open junior champion upset triple grand slam winner Stan Wawrinka to capture his maiden ATP title on the red dirt of the Croatia Open in Umag before transitioning to hard courts with a run from qualifying to the quarter-finals at last week's Cincinnati Masters 1000 event.
Popyrin is suddenly the new Australian No.2 behind world No.13 Alex de Minaur, the 2020 US Open quarter-finalist who will enjoy an all-important top-16 seeding in New York when this year's tournament gets under way next week.
Purcell is up to 47th in the new ATP standing after continuing his extraordinary transformation from grand slam doubles champion to major singles force.
The 2022 Wimbledon doubles winner also made the last eight in Cincinnati from qualifying, pushing world No.1 Carlos Alcaraz to 6-4 in the third set in an epic quarter-final.
Purcell downed world No.12 Felix Auger-Aliassime the week before in Toronto and advanced to the second round in Winston-Salem on Tuesday to mark himself as a player to avoid at Flushing Meadows.
Even without injured 2022 quarter-finalist Nick Kyrgios, Australia will have eight men in the top 100 competing at the season's final grand slam.
Aleksandar Vukic and Chris O'Connell have both enjoyed career-high rankings in the past month following breakout seasons.
Jordan Thompson remains in the top 50, and Thanasi Kokkinakis and Jason Kubler are continuing their inspired progress after injury-plagued careers.
Rinky Hijikata's wildcard entry gives Australia at least nine players in the US Open men's singles draw, with John Millman, James Duckworth and Marc Polmans all contesting qualifying from Wednesday.
Daria Saville is lining up in the women's singles main draw on an injury-protected ranking alongside 2022 quarter-finalist Ajla Tomljanovic and wildcard Storm Hunter.
Another seven Australian women - Kim Birrell, Olivia Gadecki, Arina Rodionova, Jaimee Fourlis, Astra Sharma, Priscilla Hon and Lizette Cabrera - are in qualifying.
Players must win three sudden-death matches to navigate their way to the main draw.
The Open draw takes place early on Friday morning (AEST).
