Alex de Minaur, Australia’s top-ranked male tennis player, commenced his US Open journey with a commanding straight-sets win over Italian qualifier Andrea Guerrieri. Despite the disruption caused by a postponed start and a subsequent two-hour rain delay, the seventh-ranked De Minaur emerged victorious with a scoreline of 6-2, 6-2, 6-4. His next challenge will be against the Netherlands’ Botic van de Zandschulp in the second round.
De Minaur demonstrated his prowess by breaking Guerrieri’s serve twice in each set while conceding his own serve only once. He wrapped up the match in under two hours of actual playtime. The victory comes in the midst of a challenging schedule, as persistent rain in New York has led to a congested timetable. This could require De Minaur to potentially play three consecutive days as he aims for a deep advance in the tournament.
On the women’s side, Australian player Maya Joint made headlines by becoming the first Australian woman to take a set from a top-10 opponent at the US Open, despite her loss. Joint was defeated by ninth seed Elina Svitolina with a score of 6-2, 6-7 (6), 6-4.
Meanwhile, Daria Kasatkina was ousted from the competition after her loss to Spain’s Paula Badosa. Additionally, Taylah Preston faced a tough match against American Taylor Townsend, resulting in a 6-1, 6-1 defeat. Kim Birrell also exited the tournament following a 6-1, 2-6, 6-3 loss to Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandrova.