Melbourne, Australia, 22 July 2013 | tennis.com.au

This week sees the kick-off of the Emirates US Open Series, a five-week circuit of North American hardcourt tournaments leading into the US Open in New York.

Aussies have typically embraced this period on the tennis calendar, and it’s no different this week, with several in action across the United States.

In Atlanta at the BB&T Atlanta Open, Lleyton Hewitt and Marinko Matosevic will fly the Aussie flag in the main draw.

Hewitt is the seventh seed, and will be looking to continue his form in the United States that the week before last saw him progress to the final of the Hall of Fame Championships in Newport.

The South Australian will open his campaign at the Atlanta ATP 250 event against Frenchman Edouard Roger-Vasselin.

Matosevic faces a tough draw in local Ryan Harrison, with the winner facing a second round battle with No.4 seed Igor Sijsling of the Netherlands.

John Isner and Kevin Anderson are the top two seeds in the main draw.

Matthew Ebden and Chris Guccione will attempt to join Hewitt and Matosevic in the main draw, but only one can do so – they will battle each other in the final round of Atlanta qualifying on Monday.

Across the United States, Sam Stosur is seeded second at the WTA Premier event in Stanford, California.

Stosur has been awarded a first-round bye, and in the second round will meet the winner of the match between German Julia Goerges or Olga Govortsova of Belarus.

Poland’s Agnieszka Radwanska is the top seed at the Stanford tournament, with Dominika Cibulkova (at No.3) the next-highest seed in Stosur’s half of the draw.

Fellow Aussie Sacha Jones is the sixth seed in qualifying, and takes on Alla Kudryavtseva in the final round on Monday for a place in the main draw.