Quartet fly the flag for Britain

Only four British singles players have gained direct entry to the main draw of this year’s US Open.

A strong presence in qualifying will hopefully yield further representation at 2018’s final major, which begins on Monday.

Here, Courier Sport looks at the quartet who will fly the British flag.

● Andy Murray: After a lot of pain, tears and several false starts, Murray is finally set to make his grand slam return. He has missed the last four majors with his right hip problem, pulling out on the eve of last year’s US Open and Wimbledon earlier this summer. His performances in Washington earlier this month showed he has lost none of his heart or desire and his movement is improving. Expectations should be realistic – just being on court is the main thing.

● Kyle Edmund: Having taken over from Murray as British number one, Edmund has established himself in the top 20 and has reserved his best performances for the grand slams. In his two previous main-draw appearances at the US Open, he has not lost before the third round, and being seeded should give him an easier draw. Has struggled so far on the North American hard courts but enjoys the conditions at Flushing Meadows.

● Cameron Norrie: Norrie has almost made professional tennis look easy since leaving college in Texas last spring. He raced into the top 100 and has not looked back, with the top 50 now in his sights. Norrie made a fine US Open debut 12 months ago, coming through qualifying and then winning his first grand slam match before falling in round two. A fine competitor and learning all the time.

● Johanna Konta: Konta finds herself as the only British woman directly into the field following Heather Watson’s tumble out of the top 100. Having seen her own ranking drop, Konta will not be seeded in New York, and her form remains very up and down. She has won only two matches in her last four grand slam appearances, beginning with a shock first-round loss at the US Open 12 months ago, but has twice reached the fourth round at Flushing Meadows.