Australian tennis star Alex de Minaur, ranked seventh, kicked off his US Open journey with a commanding straight-sets win against Italian qualifier Andrea Guerrieri. De Minaur secured a 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 victory despite his initial match being postponed and then disrupted by a two-hour rain delay. In the second round, he is set to face Botic van de Zandschulp from the Netherlands.
Throughout the match, De Minaur demonstrated dominance by breaking Guerrieri’s serve twice in each set, while he himself was broken only once. The entire match concluded swiftly, with less than two hours of actual playtime despite the interruptions. With the ongoing weather challenges in New York, De Minaur faces the possibility of playing three consecutive matches, as he aims for an extended run in the tournament.
On the women’s side, Australia’s Maya Joint made headlines by taking a set from a top-10 opponent, ninth seed Elina Svitolina, though she eventually fell 6-2, 6-7 (6), 6-4. This marked the first time an Australian woman took a set from a top-10 player at this tournament.
Elsewhere, Daria Kasatkina exited the competition after a defeat to Spain’s Paula Badosa. Australian Taylah Preston also faced an early exit, losing 6-1, 6-1 to American Taylor Townsend. Additionally, Kim Birrell was knocked out by Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandrova, with the match ending 6-1, 2-6, 6-3.