Alex de Minaur, Australia’s top-ranked male tennis player, successfully kicked off his US Open journey with a decisive win over Italian qualifier Andrea Guerrieri. De Minaur, who holds the seventh position in the rankings, secured a 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 victory. His first-round match experienced delays and was further interrupted by a two-hour rain break. In the upcoming round, he is set to compete against Dutch player Botic van de Zandschulp.
Throughout the match, De Minaur demonstrated his skill by breaking Guerrieri’s serve twice in each set while losing his serve only once, wrapping up the encounter in under two hours of effective playing time. The triumph occurred amidst a hectic tournament schedule in New York, plagued by continuous rain. This unfavorable weather could force De Minaur to play three matches over three consecutive days as he aims for a significant advancement in the competition.
Meanwhile, in the women’s singles competition, Australia’s Maya Joint was defeated by ninth seed Elina Svitolina in a closely contested match. Joint managed to take a set off a top-10 opponent at the tournament for the first time among Australian women but eventually lost 6-2, 6-7 (6), 6-4.
Other Australian players faced challenges as well. Daria Kasatkina exited the tournament after a loss to Paula Badosa of Spain. Taylah Preston fell to American player Taylor Townsend in a swift 6-1, 6-1 match. Additionally, Kim Birrell was ousted by Russian competitor Ekaterina Alexandrova, who won 6-1, 2-6, 6-3.