Sam Groth confident ahead of US Open qualifiers

Melbourne, August 16: Former world No 53 Sam Groth is feeling good about his game as he targets a strong showing in US Open qualifying.

The Australian, in his latest "My Tennis Life" column for Tennis Channel, detailed his most recent results on the ATP Challenger tour which have pushed him up from No 240 in early June to his current ranking of 174th.

Groth's last week reached the semifinals in Aptos, California and prior to that he made the second round at the ATP grasscourt event in Newport as a qualifier.

"It was my third (Challenger) semifinal in a row and my first on hard courts since last October. I definitely feel like I'm making good progress and pushing back up the rankings," said Groth.

"Now I'm in Vancouver and will play on Tuesday. It's the last week before US Open qualies, so I'm hoping for another good run. Since Roland Garros, Groth has won 15 of his last 20 matches.

Unfortunately, he was subsequently forced to withdraw from the Vancouver Challenger event with neck soreness, but said he hoped to be fit for the US Open qualifying tournament, beginning Tuesday 22 August.