Doolittle luck would do a lot for Rusedski's chances

US Open seeding puts British No 2 in the frame

As dustman Doolittle used to advise in My Fair Lady, a little bit of luck is all a bloke needs. And a bloke by the name of Greg Rusedski happened upon his particular piece of good fortune because of the misfortune of others when the withdrawal through injury of two seeds, Australian Open champion Thomas Johansson and Guillermo Canas, provided the British left-hander with a seeded spot for tomorrow's start of the US Open.

Despite winning the Indianapolis title a week ago, Rusedski's revised ranking still fell just short of a protected place at Flushing Meadows as one of the leading 32, leaving him staring at a potential second-round run-in with the defending champion and world No 1, Lleyton Hewitt. Having already beaten Hewitt, as well as the world's numbers two and three, Marat Safin and Tommy Haas, over the past three weeks, Greg was entitled to make brave noises about his chances, but he was grateful enough to accept the redraw which sent him into another area of the line-up altogether.

Now, though he cannot face Hewitt before the final, Rusedski is involved in a whole new ball game – an undemanding opener, interesting second round against Paradorn Srichaphan, Andre Agassi's Wimbledon conqueror and Thailand's top man for next month's Davis Cup tie against Britain, then a possible third round with Pete Sampras and maybe, given a following wind for both men, a quarter-final opposite Tim Henman.

Of late, Rusedski has taken to wearing a T-shirt bearing the fact of his record 149mph serve. A buttress, were it needed, to the sort of confidence we have not seen, or heard, from him for quite a while.

Having turned his back on the clay-court season to ready himself for grass, Greg fell a couple of points short against Xavier Malisse in Wimbledon's fourth round. Now, at the Grand Slam where he finished runner-up five years back, Rusedski clearly fancies his chances of going one better than 1997. "I knew my form was coming," he said after a practice session in New York. "It was just a matter of time. Winning Indianapolis was a great platform for the US Open, which is the one I want now. I couldn't have had a better preparation for it. It's helpful to be seeded, but I'm happy anyway. I feel sharper and healthier than I have done for a long time." So the opposition is hereby warned, though Rusedski's recent Grand Slam stats are hardly guaranteed to strike terror into every tennis heart. In 18 Slams since the 1997 US final he has never been beyond the fourth round. So another slice of Doolittle luck is overdue.

In the case of the fifth-seeded Henman, the requirement is twofold: to prove he can shine at a Grand Slam other than Wimbledon, and to demonstrate that he has recovered from the shoulder injury which has kept him out of action for a fortnight. Apart from a broken ankle and elbow surgery early in his career, Henman's ability to steer clear of injury has been admirable. The shoulder inflammation is something he last suffered two years ago at the Vienna indoor event.

"The shoulder is improving but in all honesty it is still a concern," he said on Friday evening. "I have been hitting groundstrokes and volleys without any worries, but serving is still causing problems, so the next few days are important. I was serving at 50 per cent today and was 95 per cent on the other shots. If things remain the same I will definitely start, but I don't know how it will affect my form. On a count of one to 10, the shoulder is probably seven or eight at the moment. With another three days of intensive treatment I feel I can give it a shot."

Henman's best in seven previous tilts at the US Open has been a couple of fourth rounds, something about which he is not happy. "I don't think that is good enough for someone whose game suits these courts. With my ability I should do better than that." Henman ought not to be in peril of straining anything until the fourth round this time, either. Then he is scheduled to face Andy Roddick, whose bright badge bearing the message "America's Next Hope" has looked a little scuffed of late. As 11th seed, Roddick should play another American whizz-bang merchant, Taylor Dent, in the second round. That safely behind him, he may be able to ponder the Henman hurdle, though he is more likely to be concerned about indifferent form in the 2002 Slams (Australian second round, French first, Wimbledon third).

As for the defending champion, Hewitt will probably have greeted the news of Rusedski's removal from his path with a familiar "No worries, mate". He is likely to be more concerned about the possibility of a third-round match with the in-form James Blake. Last year these two had a second round, five-set ding-dong in which Hewitt was accused of racist comments about a black line-judge. A legacy of that incident may be even more frenzied backing for Blake, a New Yorker and very much the flavour of America's tennis season. There is, of course the further distraction that Hewitt appears to have declared war on the ATP over when he is expected to give interviews.

For the older American champions, the year has been a downhill one. Sampras, four times a winner of the US title, is seeded only 17th. He concedes he is no longer centre stage but points out: "You have to remember who I am and where I'm playing," and insists he remains one of the favourites. Agassi, twice a champion here, has a good draw to lift ambitions of an eighth Grand Slam championship, though Carlos Moya, his possible fourth-round match, is in ripe form with four titles this year, including the recent one at Cincinnati, where he beat Hewitt in the final.

On the whole, however, Agassi has an easy draw. The sympathy vote for bleak news has to go to Safin, the second seed and 2000 champion. He plays Germany's Nicolas Kiefer in the opening round and then, if successful, Gustavo Kuerten, three times French Open champion. Marat, it seems, could use a little bit of Doolittle luck, too.