As the grass season fades and play turns towards the hard courts in North America, the status of American men and women is placed under the microscope with the last Grand Slam approaching in New York. Which Americans are in the best position for success in the next several weeks, with all roads leading to Flushing Meadows? While most may not provide the potential for a deep run at the last major of the season, there are some who could offer surprises or at least stiff competition in the coming weeks. With action taking place in cities ranging from Atlanta to Stanford and ultimately New York, here is a stock watch for some of the Americans who will seek to make an impact on their home soil.

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John Isner

When healthy, this is the time of year that the top American man tends to excel. Despite the fact that Isner has never advanced past the quarterfinals of the U. S. Open, he has historically found success at the tournaments leading to Flushing Meadows. In 2013, despite a nagging injury, he won the title at Atlanta and made finals runs at both Washington and the Cincinnati Masters. Along the way, the American logged victories against Richard Gasquet, Novak Djokovic, Juan Martin del Potro, and Milos Raonic, an impressive group of results. Unfortunately for Isner, his run on the summer hard courts was dampened as he was forced to withdraw from his home tournament in Winston-Salem due to injury and was eliminated in the round of 32 in New York. However, Isner appears healthy this time and recently cracked the top 10 earlier this year while now currently sitting at world No. 12.

Madison Keys

Keys has had a breakout season, collecting her maiden title at Eastbourne before an injury derailed her at Wimbledon. However, she insisted that her retirement from the third Grand Slam was just a precaution, and doctors have reinforced her statement that her thigh injury should only require a couple weeks of recuperation. Aiming for a return in Washington, Keys has shown that she possesses the power to develop into a factor on the hard courts, while she has fine-tuned the nuances of her game so far in her breakthrough season. If healthy, Keys appears poised to improve on her 2013 results in the U. S., where she failed to advance past the round of 16 during the summer swing.

Jack Sock

A doubles championship at Wimbledon has appeared to fuel the young American in singles. Last week in Newport, the 20-year-old advanced to the semifinals, eliminating Isner in the process. There is little question that Sock has the power game to ascend the rankings, although his consistency has been a hindrance to that goal. Sock struggled in the U. S. Open Series in 2013 but advanced to the round of 32 in Flushing Meadows. And, while it is unlikely that he is in a position to make a deep run in the final major of the season, he has a prime opportunity to continue improving his game on the hard courts in the United States. With continued strides, Sock could take a step closer to living up to his abilities.

Venus Williams

At Wimbledon, Williams silenced some of the critics who had written off the 34-year-old, after she battled deep into a third set with eventual champion Petra Kvitova. Given Kvitova's performance there, Williams clearly played well enough to have advanced deeper in the draw given a different route. Now, Williams can continue to prove she is still capable in a season where she has been formidable on the hard courts at Dubai and Auckland. Her Dubai title was the 45th of her career. Ranked 25th in the world, Williams is primed to improve her 2013 summer hard-court season, where she failed to advance beyond the round of 32 in the three North American summer events entered.

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Sloane Stephens

The 2014 season has been a struggle for Stephens, who has seen her ranking fall from world No. 12 to its current position of No. 22. While the jury is still out on the Paul Annacone coaching experiment, her Wimbledon result is still a fresh wound. Historically, Stephens had lifted her game at the Grand Slams while appearing uninterested at times during other events. However, this season has seen the 21-year-old failing to advance beyond the round of 16 in any of the three majors. Her results at the 2013 summer North American hard courts yielded similar outcomes. Taking her recent efforts into consideration, it is difficult to envision a deep run in 2014.

Christina McHale

The 2014 season started promisingly for McHale, who intensified her off-season physical training in hopes of stronger performances against the heavyweights of the WTA. However, most of her campaign has been filled with numerous first- and second-round exits, with the exception of a handful of early-season positive results that included a finals run in Acapulco in February. The 22-year-old has advanced past the first round just once since late May, which includes a straight-sets defeat in the opening round at Wimbledon. And while there is still plenty of upside for McHale, the summer hard court season has not been friendly for the New Jersey native of late. In 2013, she failed to qualify for the Toronto and Cincinnati events and fell in the first round at Stanford and Washington.

Bradley Klahn

Klahn has made progress in 2014 behind early season Challenger success which allowed him to compete at more notable tournaments. However, after winning back to back Challenger events early in the year, the California native has not won a match on Tour since early February, enduring first-round exits in his last eight tournaments. Klahn peaked at world no. 63 in the spring but will likely continue to appear mainly in Challenger tournaments or qualifiers leading up to the U. S. Open.

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Serena Williams

Despite some apparent cracks in the armor, it would be premature to dismiss Williams from talk of another Grand Slam title. Obviously, she still remains the best home hope to capture the last major of the season. However, if Williams fails to win a championship at Flushing Meadows, it would be just the fourth year since 2002 that the 32-year-old did not win at least one Grand Slam title. Williams, who became ill late at Wimbledon, has withdrawn from the Swedish Open but should have time to nurse herself back to health before the more prestigious pre-U. S. Open tournaments begin. Regardless, for the first time in some time, her status as the best in the world is up in the air as the season moves towards New York.

Sam Querrey

Querrey stumbled through a dismal start in 2014, but he has worked his way back to American No. 2 behind Isner and has shown fight recently. His improvements emerged against Jo-Wilfred Tsonga at Wimbledon, where a handful of points separated the two players in a five-set epic. Querrey has shown modest success on the U. S. summer hard courts in seasons past. If he can maximize his serve on a consistent basis, he can certainly become a dangerous opponent in the next several weeks.

Alison Riske

In 2014, Riske has improved from a world ranking of No. 57 to No. 43 behind her scrappy game, fighting for every point. It has not translated into deep runs in tournaments thus far this season. Nonetheless, she has shown the ability to pressure higher-ranked opponents at times, and her gradual rise is evidence of her willingness to work and pour everything into a match. Her playing style could make her a difficult test for many during the dog days of July and August.

Donald Young

After tumbling down the rankings, Young found some momentum and confidence late in 2013 after qualifying for the U. S. Open, coupled with a nice run on the Challenger circuit. Since, he has worked his way back from world No. 157 to his current position of No. 70. While he struggled in the 2013 summer hard-court season, Young has shown progress on those courts in 2014. At the Australian Open, the 24-year-old defeated two top-50 players before falling to Kei Nishikori. The Chicago native demonstrated a strong competitive demeanor prior to the clay and grass seasons and must be salivating at the thought of a return to the hard courts. This year, with a much improved ranking, Young should see action in more main draws during the U. S. Open series.

Watch List

Steve Johnson, Coco Vandeweghe, Lauren Davis, and Varvara Lepchenko could provide interesting viewing in the weeks ahead. Johnson showed his ability on the hard courts earlier this season in Auckland and Delray Beach, where he made deep runs. Vandeweghe has seen her ranking rise from No. 110 to No. 41 in 2014, while Davis and Lepchenko have proven they have upset potential in any given match.