16 August 2017 | tennis.com.au

Former world No.53 Sam Groth is feeling good about his game as he targets a strong showing in US Open qualifying.

The Australian, in his latest “My Tennis Life” column for Tennis Channel, detailed his most recent results on the ATP Challenger tour which have pushed him up from No.240 in early June to his current ranking of 174th.

Groth’s last week reached the semifinals in Aptos, California; prior to that he made the second round at the ATP grasscourt event in Newport as a qualifier.

“It was my third (Challenger) semifinal in a row and my first on hard courts since last October. I definitely feel like I’m making good progress and pushing back up the rankings,” Groth wrote.

“Now I’m in Vancouver and will play on Tuesday. It’s the last week before US Open qualies, so I’m hoping for another good run.

Since Roland Garros, Groth has won 15 of his last 20 matches.

Unfortunately, he was subsequently forced to withdraw from the Vancouver Challenger event with neck soreness, but said he hoped to be OK for the US Open qualifying tournament, beginning Tuesday 22 August.

.@SamGrothTennis reporting from Vancouver 🇨🇦. Landed with an unexpected neck injury, unfortunately can't play @vanopentennis. #MyTennisLife pic.twitter.com/LayCNyr8ZZ

— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) August 15, 2017