Australia’s top-ranked male tennis player, Alex de Minaur, commenced his US Open journey with a decisive straight-sets win against Italian qualifier Andrea Guerrieri. De Minaur, who ranks seventh, triumphed with scores of 6-2, 6-2, 6-4. His match, initially delayed and then paused for two hours due to rain, saw him break Guerrieri’s serve twice in each set while losing his serve just once, completing the encounter in under two hours of actual play.
De Minaur’s opening victory comes amid a tight tournament schedule impacted by persistent rain in New York, potentially setting up a demanding three matches in three days for the Australian as he seeks to advance further in the competition. His next challenge will be against Dutch player Botic van de Zandschulp in the tournament’s second round.
In the women’s bracket, Australian Maya Joint made headlines despite her loss, as she became the first Australian woman to take a set from a top-10 opponent at the US Open, pushing ninth seed Elina Svitolina to a three-set match before succumbing 6-2, 6-7 (6), 6-4. Meanwhile, other Australian players had mixed results, with Daria Kasatkina bowing out after a defeat by Spain’s Paula Badosa, and Taylah Preston losing 6-1, 6-1 to American Taylor Townsend.
Kim Birrell also exited the tournament after a hard-fought match against Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandrova, ending with a scoreline of 6-1, 2-6, 6-3. These results reflect the challenges faced by Australian players amidst a competitive field at this year’s US Open.