Tennis fans worldwide turn their attention to Flushing Meadows, N.Y., today when the U.S. Open begins. Many might notice several former Illini competing in the midst of the action.

Amer Delic, Illinois’ first NCAA singles champion, will compete in the main draw of the singles tournament for the second consecutive year. Former Illini Rajeev Ram, who won the 2003 NCAA doubles title with Brian Wilson, enters his fourth U.S. Open this week.

“It’s great that we have two recent former Illini in the top 128 players in the main draw of the tournament,” said Illinois head coach Craig Tiley. “I’m excited for them, and it will help to get our program some additional exposure.”

Traditionally, the NCAA singles and doubles champions earn automatic bids into the U.S. Open. After a year of professional experience however, the men feel more relaxed and are excited to compete in the tournament.

“It will be different to play the singles tournament as a professional, but it is a great opportunity for me,” Ram said. “I feel like I can play with anyone in the draw.”

The transition from the collegiate to professional level has been “better than expected,” Ram said. Both he and Delic are ranked near the top 200 in the world.

“The ranking is nice, but rankings go up and down all the time,” Ram said. “In the end, it’s just a number. It’s more important that we’re improving.”

Tennis fans will be able to see the men’s improvement this week at the U.S. Open, the most prestigious event on American soil and the last Grand Slam of the year.

Delic faces Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia and Montenegro today. The match takes place after Francesca Schiavone and Klara Koukalova play their first-round match. The women’s match starts at 11 a.m. EST.

Tipsarevic advanced to the main draw of the U.S. Open from the qualifying tournament as a lucky loser. Tipsarevic has been playing well, Tiley said, and should be relaxed for the match.

“He’s a great player, a very physical player, and Amer is going to have to be aggressive and wear him out,” Tiley said.

Ram will face American Jan-Michael Gambill, a seven-time veteran of the tournament, during the first round. Gambill’s best finish came in 2002 when he advanced to the fourth round of the U.S. Open.

“For Rajeev to have the opportunity to play him is great,” Tiley said. “(Gambill) is going to be tough to beat, but it’s really a great opportunity for him if he can.”

This is not the first time Illinois athletes have competed in the U.S. Open.

Last year, the Illini contingent ran five deep.

Illinois’ first doubles champion Graydon Oliver competed last year and is expected to return to Flushing Meadows for the doubles tournament. Wilson is competing in another professional event and is not expected to compete in this year’s Open, Tiley said. Illinois junior Pramod Dabir competed last year as well, but did not qualify this year.

“When I first went there, I was in shock,” Dabir said. “It was an unbelievable experience – you’re around the best players in the world.”

Illinois sophomore GD Jones will compete in the Juniors U.S. Open, which begins this weekend.

“I think we are definitely building a reputation for sending players to the Open,” Tiley said. “And we’re hoping to do more and better things over the next few years to provide the experience that the younger players need to get to that level.”