Australia’s top-ranked men’s tennis player, Alex de Minaur, launched his US Open journey with a convincing win against Italian qualifier Andrea Guerrieri. De Minaur, seeded seventh, secured a straight-sets victory with scores of 6-2, 6-2, 6-4, after weather-related delays and interruptions. He is set to compete against Dutch player Botic van de Zandschulp in the upcoming round.
The match was notable for De Minaur’s dominant performance, as he broke Guerrieri’s serve twice in each set and only lost his serve once. Despite the match being interrupted by rain for two hours, De Minaur completed it in under two hours of actual play. The ongoing rainy conditions in New York have led to a packed schedule, meaning De Minaur might have to play three matches in as many days if he continues his run.
In the women’s competition, Australian Maya Joint made headlines by taking a set off a top-10 opponent, ninth seed Elina Svitolina. Joint ultimately lost the match 6-2, 6-7 (6), 6-4, marking her as the first Australian woman to achieve this at the tournament. Despite her loss, Joint’s performance was a notable achievement against a highly ranked player.
Elsewhere in the women’s draw, Daria Kasatkina exited the tournament after a defeat by Spain’s Paula Badosa. Additionally, Taylah Preston faced a tough challenge against American Taylor Townsend, resulting in a 6-1, 6-1 loss. Another Australian, Kim Birrell, was also eliminated after a three-set battle against Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandrova, ending with scores of 6-1, 2-6, 6-3.