Australia’s top-ranked male tennis player, Alex de Minaur, successfully launched his US Open journey with a decisive straight-sets win over Italian qualifier Andrea Guerrieri. De Minaur, currently ranked seventh, defeated Guerrieri with a scoreline of 6-2, 6-2, 6-4, in a match that was both delayed and interrupted by a two-hour rain delay. With this victory, De Minaur advances to face Dutch player Botic van de Zandschulp in the second round.
Despite the interruptions, De Minaur showcased his dominance by breaking Guerrieri’s serve twice in each set while losing his own serve only once, wrapping up the match in less than two hours of actual play. The win comes amid a tight schedule due to ongoing rain in New York, possibly requiring De Minaur to play three matches in as many days as he aims for a deep run in the tournament.
In the women’s singles draw, Australian Maya Joint made her mark by taking a set off ninth seed Elina Svitolina before ultimately losing 6-2, 6-7 (6), 6-4. Joint became the first Australian woman to win a set against a top-10 opponent in this year’s tournament, adding a notable achievement to her performance despite the loss.
Other Australian players faced challenges in their matches as well. Daria Kasatkina was ousted by Spain’s Paula Badosa, while Taylah Preston faced a tough defeat, falling 6-1, 6-1 to American Taylor Townsend. Meanwhile, Kim Birrell was eliminated by Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandrova with a score of 6-1, 2-6, 6-3.
