With only three Challenger tournaments remaining in the United States in 2013, many Americans have converged on Charlottesville hoping to gain valuable ranking points to close the season.

Ninety points are up for grabs for the winner of the Charlottesville Challenger. With the first major of 2014 not far ahead, many of the leading American men other than John Isner and Sam Querrey are looking to tournaments such as Charlottesville to better their chances when play shifts to Australia.

This Virginia tournament set up well for top seed Tim Smyczek, who had started 2013 ranked 126th in the world but worked his way to 83rd with successful runs in Challenger events. Since the US Open, Smyczek has advanced to either the semifinal or final at three tournaments. The top prize in Charlottesville could have propelled the 25-year-old towards the top 70, but he fell in the first round to Saketh Myneni of India.

Three young American prospects who have come through the collegiate tennis ranks saw action this week. Tennys Sandgren, Chase Buchanan and Austin Krajicek are all ranked between No. 234 and No. 271 and have spent much of 2013 playing a mixture of Futures and Challenger events. Buchanan defeated Krajicek in the first round en route to joining Sandgren in the final 16.

It was a disappointing tournament for veterans Rajeev Ram and Alex Kuznetsov, who are ranked 120th and 121st in the world. Each could better his positioning for tournament fields early in 2014 with success at events such as Charlottesville. Making main draws are vital for players such as these two leading up to the Australian Open. Positive results at late-season events could help them bypass qualifying draws to gain direct entry at the ATP level. But both players fell early, Kuznetsov in the opening round and Ram in the second.

Another American player who fell short was Donald Young, who was the fourth seed. He lost in the quarterfinals to Canadian Peter Polansky. Young had been on the verge of breaking back into the top 100 after back to back Challenger titles following the U. S. Open. Having improved his form, he will turn his attention to the Knoxville Challenger next week.

Charlottesville also featured two American newcomers who have succeeded in reaching main draws at ATP events this year. Steve Johnson and Rhyne Williams (pictured above) both have made the most of their opportunities in 2013. Johnson, who is ranked No. 155, defeated Andreas Seppi in Winston-Salem and Vasek Pospisil at a British grass tournament. Meanwhile, world No. 122 Williams pushed Nikolay Davydenko and Florian Mayer to five sets in the first rounds of the U. S. Open and Australian Open respectively. In Charlottesville, Johnson fell in the first round to Canadian Jesse Levine, while Williams upset second-seeded Somdev Devvarman to push through to the semifinals.

Advancing with Williams is veteran Michael Russell. The 35-year-old Russell, who is ranked No. 96, has not dropped a set in his path to the semifinals.

In a nutshell, the Charlottesville Challenger afforded a number of Americans an opportunity to compile ranking points on their home turf. For many, it is their best opportunity to improve to a point where they can compete in more notable ATP tournaments. Some competitors will take advantage of these tournaments to better position themselves, while others will continue to struggle to gain a foothold in the world rankings. Michael Russell and Rhyne Williams both maximized their opportunity this week.