London, Aug 19: A brief look at the strengths and weaknesses of the leading men after the US Open seeds were announced. 1-Andre Agassi (US): One of the game's all-time greats, Agassi has won all four grand slam titles -- one of only five men to do so. Runner-up to Pete Sampras last year, the 1994 and 1999 champion will have high hopes of adding a third crown. Nobody relishes facing the aggressive baseliner at his home grand slam in New York.
2-Roger Federer (Switzerland): Achieved his long overdue grand slam breakthrough at Wimbledon last month and will be confident of adding a second at the open. Possesses a classic serve-and-volley game, allied to a superb backhand and good speed around the court.
3-Juan Carlos Ferrero (Spain): Crowned 'King of Clay' at the French Open in June, Ferrero will do well to add to his maiden grand slam at flushing meadows. Having never gone beyond the third round, Ferrero will need to be on top of his game to live up to his seeding.
4-Andy Roddick (US): The winner of back-to-back masters titles in Montreal and Cincinnati, Roddick will go into the Open with high expectations of landing his first grand slam title. Hit a record-equalling 149 miles (239.8 km) earlier this season and has all the tools to succeed.
5-Guillermo Coria (Argentina): The baseliner clinched three consecutive titles recently, but all on clay. With his tendency to avoid hard courts, the argentine has not had much match practice on the surface and is unlikely to go very far in New York.
6-Lleyton Hewitt (Australia): One of the most determined players to have picked up a racket, Hewitt has built a champion's game around a classic counter-punching style. A shock first-round defeat at Wimbledon dented his confidence but he will want to climb back into the winner's circle at the Open.
7-Carlos Moya (Spain): Flushing meadows has never been a happy hunting ground for Moya and with first-round loses in Montreal and Cincinnati, the claycourt specialist will do well to survive the early rounds.
8-Rainer Schuettler (Germany): A shock Australian Open finalist in January, Schuettler was thrashed by Agassi on that occasion. A harrier and a chaser, he is likely to be out-hit by a big server.
9-Sebastien Grosjean (France): Despite being an aggressive baseliner, Grosjean has reached the third round once in five previous visits. A surprise semi-finalist at Wimbledon last month, he could produce a few shocks again.
10-Jiri Novak (Czech Republic): The powerful 1.91-metre Czech has never gone beyond the fourth round in eight previous attempts despite possessing a big serve. Failed to impress on the hard courts this season and could suffer an early exit.
11-Paradorn Srichaphan (Thailand): Not afraid to charge the net, the athletic Paradorn could do some damage. He should improve on last year's second-round showing.
12-Sjeng Schalken (Netherlands): Schalken appears to have matured at the slams and reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon and the US Open in 2002. A classic player, he should make the second week but lacks a big weapon.
13-David Nalbandian (Argentina): A surprise Wimbledon finalist last year, Nalbandian has failed to reach those heady heights again. A solid player, but no big weapons.
14-Gustavo Kuerten (Brazil): The three-times French Open champion has never produced his best form at the hard court slam and could struggle to make an impact.
15-Fernando Gonzalez (Chile): Displayed his hardcourt skills during his semi-final win over Agassi in Washington earlier this month before being beaten by Tim Henman in the final. Reached the quarter-finals on his US Open debut last year and could reproduce that form once again.
16-Martin Verkerk (Netherlands): Stunned the tennis world by reaching the French Open final, where the Dutchman was easily tamed by Ferrero. Will do well to survive the early rounds. Bureau Report