The US Open begins in earnest on Monday, but for two of Australia's most gifted players, it's about to begin.

On court today (New York time) in the qualifying event are Bernard Tomic, who's up against the no.11 seed Marsel Ilhan from Turkey, and Jelena Dokic against British teenager Laura Robson.

You have to wonder a little how this situation has arisen.

Let's consider Tomic. After his impressive performance at the Australian Open, followed by an equally impressive Davis Cup debut against Thailand, one would have thought his passage into the other Grand Slams this year would have been assured, especially when Australia has reciprocal wild card arrangements with the French Open and the US Open.

After our Davis Cup tie against Japan on clay in Brisbane, where Tomic was not selected and Carsten Ball performed well, Ball was the beneficiary of our Roland Garros wildcard and, on balance, this was a reasonable call. On to Wimbledon where Tomic and Ball both qualified but lost first round. Moving now to the US Open, Ball received the wildcard nod over Tomic. This raises a few eyebrows, as surely Tomic deserved one. After all, he is a prodigious talent and on his preferred surface would threaten many a main draw player, including seeds. I think it would have been reasonable if Carsten and Bernard had received two wild cards each from Tennis Australia this year (including the Australian Open), but it was not to be. After such an amazing start to the year, it has to be said Bernard has struggled to gain momentum, and has missed all of the US summer hardcourt season, a swing that would ordinarily be perfectly suited to his game. He recently played (and won) a non-ranking AMT (Australian money tournament) in Southport, Queensland. This on face value, is not the schedule one would have expected for our best young talent, so let's hope he starts to make some waves on the big tour shortly.

It's a little different with Jelena Dokic. She has been in fine form recently in challenger events, but too late to beat the entry deadline for New York. So, with a current ranking well inside the top 100, Jelena has the frustration of facing three qualifying matches before arriving at the place someone with her current ranking would normally already be. She could, of course, have been awarded the discretionary wildcard, but Tennis Australia awarded it to Sophie Ferguson.

Sophie, under the fine tutelage of Tony Roche, has enjoyed a very good year, moving her ranking from the mid 100s to 111, and narrowly missed being a direct entry.

A good case can be made for both women, but on balance however, I think Tennis Australia made the right call. Jelena is now settled back in the top 100, and Sophie is only a win or two away from the same benchmark.... wins that could indeed happen next week in New York.

In other Australian wild card news, Sam Stosur took one in New Haven to get some valuable match play after an enforced injury break. Sam got back into the groove in the nick of time, saving four match points in her first match back. The US Open, though, hasn't been her happiest hunting ground, given she's never passed the second round in six attempts. Conditions in New York are pretty intense - the weather, courts and balls err on the hot and fast side - while off court in the world's fastest city can be no less a cauldron too.

The key is whether Sam is back to 100% fitness, and able to adjust her game to the pace and intensity of the Open. This year though, Sam is a vastly different player so, as the no.5 seed, she would be aiming to make it to the second week and take it from there.

Lleyton Hewitt is also coming off an injury break, but his epic match with world no.5 Robin Soderling in Cincinnati showed he's already hitting his straps. His absence from the US summer had a slight negative impact on his ranking, but he still salvaged the last seeded position of 32.

The other news is the decision by his coach Nathan Healy to spend more time with his family, so Lleyton will rely on the assistance of Brett Smith, who has been a frequent member of his entourage over many years. Lleyton has made it clear he's in no hurry to appoint a new coach, and this is a sound strategy. He would hope a confidante can be a key associate in extracting every ounce of success in his last years on the Tour, and therefore is an appointment not to be rushed. As always, the former US Open champion will make an impact whoever he takes on and may just surprise.

Overall, the women's event is wide open with the withdrawals of Serena Williams and Justine Henin, but don't be surprised, though, if the Williams factor through Venus is still a force.

Roger Federer, on the back of his Cincinnati Masters 1000 win, will start as tournament favourite, with Rafa needing to break a mini hoodoo in New York.

Djokovic and Murray also have their supporters, so it's probably as unpredictable as the Women's Draw. Let's hope an Aussie makes a good run in New York as New York never follows the script. Remember it was Juan Martin del Potro who triumphed there last year.