Hail to the qualifiers!

With the U.S. Open about to start, the eyes of most fans will be on the likes of Williams, Sampras, Kuerten, Agassi, Williams, Hingis and Williams (Richard, of course). But we'd like to take a few moments to salute the valiant journeymen and journeywomen who qualified ? or who didn't ? in this week's qualifying play.

Not often do you see the finalist of a recent major tournament have to qualify. But Harel Levy of Israel, who shocked the tennis world by reaching the finals of the Tennis Masters Series ? Canada, falls in that category. Already a crowd favourite, Levy was cheered on by a large following in each of his three matches this week, and did not disappoint.

Harel, who has just finished his compulsory military service for Israel, marched through the draw without losing a set. The versatile and talented 22 year old had to face James Blake, the rising young American star, in the second round. Blake has already beaten Levy twice in his career, but was on the short end of a 7-5 6-2 score this time, a testimony to Harel's remarkable improvement in the last year.

Levy, a frequent practice partner of Gustavo Kuerten, looks to be good enough to become a fixture on the tour now. Still, he knows that he has some work to do to join the elite. He admits that he is working on improving his forehand and serve, to complement his already excellent one-handed backhand.

Neither do you often see a former Wimbledon semifinalist have to qualify for a major tournament. Lucic, who marched to the Wimbledon final four just last year, has since struggled with her fitness and motivation and was not even seeded for the qualifying event at Flushing Meadows this year.

Lucic did finally qualify, but it was a bit of an arduous road, as she dropped sets to both Evelyn Fauth and Sandra Nacuk before storming back to win. Her game was often littered with errors, and her mobility continues to be sub-par.

Lucic is now coached by Harold Solomon, who had just split with another former phenom with conditioning and motivational problems, Jennifer Capriati. The Croatian is attempting to put her tumultous family sagas behind her (she had accused her father Marinko of physical abuse), and rededicate herself to the sport that many once believed she could dominate.

"I chose a path not to work as hard, and this is what happens," admitted Mirjana to the New York Times. It remains to be seen if she can heed the wisdom of Solomon and develop the work habits that would again place her in a contending position at major tournaments.

Sfar is surely the greatest player ever to emerge from Tunisia! The 199th ranked 23 year old was also a happy qualifier, by virtue of wins over Ainhoa Goni, Jolene Watanabe and Anna Zaporozhanova. Selima's first-round match against Tatania Panova next week will be her first match on the main tour in her career (note that she has played 29 matches for Tunisia in Fed Cup and the Olympics, compiling a 16-13 record).

The surprise qualifier from Tunisia now lives and trains in France, but I would wager that there will be plenty of excitement in her home town of Sidi Bou Said, Tunisia, for her big debut!

The irrepressible German Karsten Braasch, a former top-fifty player whose career was set back by severe back problems, still hangs around on the fringes of the tour, amusing on-lookers with his weird service motion (I can only describe it as similar to an erupting volcano). Braasch is remembered principally for a brave first-round challenge to Pete Sampras at the 1995 Wimbledon (6-7 7-6 4-6 1-6), for beating both Williams sisters in the same day after a good-natured challenge at the 1999 Australian Open, and for his propensity to smoke a cigarette during changeovers.

The New York Times reported that Braasch could have made it into the qualifying singles draw at the U.S. Open, but he turned up 15 minutes late for the sign-in, ceding his place to France's Cédric Kaufmann (who wound up successfully qualifying, incidentally). Karsten did not miss the doubles sign-in, however, and together with countryman Lars Burgsmüller managed to qualify for the doubles!

We wish our valiant qualifiers good luck when the U.S. Open begins in earnest on Monday.