US Open unseeded and dangerous: The men

The seeds for the US Open may have fallen in to place, but what about the men who aren’t part of the Top 32? Amongst the rest of the field there are eight men in particular (including one giant of the game) who nobody wants to face.

Viktor Troicki

Current ranking: 35
Who is he? A supremely talented Serbian.
Why is he so dangerous? He’s fiery, he’s talented, and he’s got some humongous shots. Viktor Troicki is a handful for any player on Tour.
Why isn’t he seeded? After serving a 12-month ban for an anti-doping offence, Troicki has been working his way steadily back up the rankings. Expect to see him back amongst the seeds after the US Open.
How far can he go? Realistically, Troicki should be shooting for the fourth round, but has the talent to make the Last 8.

Fabio Fognini

Current ranking: 38
Who is he? An outrageously talented Italian with an equally outrageous temper.
Why is he so dangerous? There is almost nothing that Fabio Fognini cannot do with a tennis ball. He can hit winners from anywhere and can beat anyone… when he focuses on his game.
Why isn’t he seeded? It’s been an up and down year for Fabio, but mainly down. Habitual struggles with form and temperament has seen his ranking plummet from 21 at the start of 2016.
How far can he go? A focused Fabio can easily reach the fourth round. A really focused Fabio has the talent to go even deeper.

Borna Coric

Current ranking: 40
Who is he? A #NextGen superstar.
Why is he so dangerous? He’s got fire in his belly and a game to go with it. A born entertainer, the 19 year-old has already claimed a number of big-name ATP scalps (including wins over Andy Murray and Rafa Nadal).
Why isn’t he seeded? 2016 has seen Coric really start to find his feet on the ATP Tour. It’s hard not to see him amongst the seeds at January’s Australian Open.
How far can he go? Coric has the talent to go deep, but does he have the consistency? The third round should be the goal, the fourth round would be a great effort.

Nicolas Almagro

Current ranking: 46
Who is he? A former Top 10 player on the way back from injury.
Why is he so dangerous? A relentless competitor, Nicolas Almagro backs up his will to win with a brilliant game (including one of the most beautiful backhands in tennis).
Why isn’t he seeded? He lost 18 months – including the whole of 2015 – through injury. He’s working his way back up the rankings now.
How far can he go? Hard to say. If he’s on his game he could reach the second week, although he’ll probably be happy if he gets to the third round.

RELATED: US Open unseeded and dangerous: The women

Fernando Verdasco

Current ranking: 47
Who is he? A former Top 10 player (and the guy who beat Nadal at AO 2016).
Why is he so dangerous? Because he can crunch it. Heavy ground strokes and great all-court play is coupled with a ferocious will to win.
Why isn’t he seeded? That’s hard to say. Verdasco has been on a downward trajectory for a while, although is still very capable of producing flashes of brilliance (particularly on the big stages).
How far can he go? A bit like Almagro, Verdasco can sometimes pull something out of the bag. However, third round would be a decent effort.

Alexandr Dolgopolov

Current ranking: 58
Who is he? An outrageous shotmaker who is brilliant all over the court
Why is he so dangerous? Because he has the potential to be brilliant. When he plays at his best, Dolgopolov has the shots and the speed to bamboozle the very best in the world.
Why isn’t he seeded? He’s going through a tricky run of form at the moment.
How far can he go? It depends which Dolgopolov turns up in New York. On current form it will be tricky for him to go beyond the third round.

Ernests Gulbis

Current ranking: 101
Who is he? A tortured genius.
Why is he so dangerous? Because when he can hold it together, he has the game to beat anyone on any surface (he’s notched up wins over Djokovic, Murray and Federer in the past).
Why isn’t he seeded? A fearsome temper has not helped the struggles with form that have seen his ranking plummet over the last 18 months.
How far can he go? He has the talent to reach the second week, but does he have the temperament? Second round is a realistic target.

Juan Martin Del Potro

Current ranking: 142
Who is he? The Olympic silver medallist and all-round good guy.
Why is he so dangerous? Are you kidding? This is Delpo! He’s the former US Open champion, a man with the best forehand in tennis, and probably the most dangerous player outside the Top 5.
Why isn’t he seeded? Long-running injury problems have derailed a hugely promising career. Hopefully the Tower of Tandil is back on the rise.
How far can he go? Quarters? Semis? Final? If Delpo can stay injury free and doesn’t suffer from a post-Rio dip, he’s going to be very hard to stop.