US Open Tennis 2013: Overlooked Contenders at Flushing Meadows

The second week of the 2013 U.S. Open will kick off on Monday at Flushing Meadows, N.Y., where the favorites will continue their march through the draw.

But while all eyes continue to be on Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Serena Williams and the other top-ranked superstars, a handful of championship contenders are being overlooked. 

Below, we examine a trio of underrated singles players who are every bit as alive and in the mix as the favorites this September.

Milos Raonic (10)

For the second straight year, big-serving Canadian Milos Raonic is into the fourth round of the U.S. Open.

The 22-year-old will battle Richard Gasquet for a spot in the quarterfinals and will have a good chance to upend the Frenchman, given how strong he's looked in recent wins in Queens. Plus, Gasquet has made it past the fourth round at a Grand Slam event only once before in his career.

Raonic has dropped only one set through the first three rounds and has gotten into a rhythm on his serve. He put 67 percent of his first serves in play in his most recent victory over 23rd-seeded Feliciano Lopez and has recorded at least 28 aces in two of his three match wins.

Even better, the world No. 11 is winning more than 80 percent of his first-serve points for the tournament.

If he can continue to use his powerful serve as a weapon moving forward, there's no reason why Raonic can't survive David Ferrer's quarterfinal of the draw and crash the semifinals this week.

Li Na (5)

China's Li Na has reached the quarterfinals at the U.S. Open for just the second time in her career. Following another dominant straight-sets win, Li is one win away from a potential semifinal clash with defending champion Serena Williams.

And few players have been as consistent as Li thus far, as pointed out by Sports Illustrated's Beyond the Baseline on Twitter:

While Williams has beaten Li in their two previous meetings in 2013, both matches were tight, with Williams edging Li, 7-5, 7-5, in Cincinnati earlier this summer.

Li is an elite hard-court player and reached the final of the Australian Open in January, coming within a set of winning her second career Grand Slam.

If Li can continue to play at a high level in Queens, she'll be a lock to reach the semifinals and pose a significant threat to Williams. Every aspect of her game is looking sharp at the moment, making her a dangerous draw.

She's winning well over 75 percent of her first-serve points for the tournament and is moving tremendously well in the return game where she's broken her four opponents a combined 20 times.

Lleyton Hewitt 

At age 32, unseeded veteran Lleyton Hewitt is having fun at the U.S. Open this summer, playing with nothing to lose. So far, that's been bad news for his opponents.

The 2001 U.S. Open champion has played 13 sets of tough tennis through the first three rounds, but finds himself in the round of 16 at Flushing Meadows for the first time since 2006. Hewitt's run isn't over yet, though.

If the surging Aussie can take down 21st-seeded Mikhail Youzhny next in a very winnable match, he'll be through to the quarterfinals where he'll likely face the men's overall top seed in Djokovic.

While few would give Hewitt a shot to win that match and reach the semifinals, keep in mind that very few tennis experts expected the two-time Grand Slam champion to upset former U.S. Open winner Juan Martin del Potro in the second round.

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