Junior grand slam champions Omar Jasika and Alexei Popyrin head the queue lining up for Australian Open wildcards now that Bernard Tomic has finally done his dash.
Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt and Tennis Australia's head of performance Wally Masur will meet with TA boss Craig Tiley on Friday to determine who will receive the last two discretionary wildcards into the Melbourne major starting on January 15.
"We've got some young players that have done well that we've got to consider and others that have done well throughout the year that we've got to consider," Tiley said after drawing a line through Tomic on Thursday.
"It's nice that we have a bit of a choice."
Tiley said he hoped to issue the last two wildcards before Monday, with a raft of young guns as well as retiring sentimental favourite Sam Groth in the mix.
Groth is already assured an Open swan song after Hewitt agreed to partner him in the doubles.
The former Newcombe Medallist and Davis Cup star will also team with Samantha Stosur in the mixed doubles.
Jasika, the 2014 US Open boys' winner, and Popyrin, the reigning French Open junior champion, along with James Duckworth are the frontrunners to earn a place in the 128-man main draw.
While officially the world No.992 on his comeback from injury, Duckworth's protected ranking of No.105 has the 25-year-old fifth in line for a start if there are any late withdrawals.
"There's young players on the cusp. (Alex) De Minaur is in and (Alex) Bolt is in. They did well in the (wildcard) playoff," Tiley said.
"The hope always was that Bernie would show up and perform and then get an opportunity for a wildcard, though he's lost that opportunity.
"We're close with Lleyton on that one. You've got players like Omar Jasika, who has done well. Alexei Popyrin won the French, Max Purcell, James Duckworth - where he is is with his health - and JP Smith.
"There's some young, some in the middle (stages of their career) that'd be on the list for consideration and there's a few I'm leaving off, I'm sure."
AUSTRALIANS IN OR OUT OF OPEN MEN'S DRAW (prefix denotes world ranking):
21: Nick Kyrgios - IN - direct entry
76: Matt Ebden - IN - direct entry
94: Jordan Thompson - IN - direct entry
128: John Millman - IN - protected ranking
140: Bernard Tomic - NOT IN - won't receive wildcard but on qualifying entry list
146: Akira Santillan - OUT - injured
189: Alex Bolt - IN - wildcard
208: Alex De Minaur - IN - won wildcard playoff
209: Thanasi Kokkinakis - IN - wildcard
218: John-Patrick Smith - NO START YET
226: Andrew Whittington - NO START YET
248: Sam Groth - NO START YET
272: Dayne Kelly - OUT injured
277: Omar Jasika - NO START YET
Others
621: Alexei Popyrin - NO START YET
*992: James Duckworth - NO START YET - has a protected ranking of 105
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