Alex de Minaur, Australia’s leading men’s tennis player, finally kicked off his US Open journey with a commanding straight-sets win against Italian qualifier Andrea Guerrieri. Ranked seventh, De Minaur secured his victory with scores of 6-2, 6-2, 6-4, after his initial match faced delays and a subsequent two-hour rain interruption in New York. In the tournament’s second round, De Minaur is set to compete against Botic van de Zandschulp from the Netherlands.
During the match, De Minaur showcased his prowess by breaking Guerrieri’s serve twice in each set while only losing his serve once, wrapping up the encounter in under two hours of on-court action. This win comes amid a challenging schedule caused by continuous rain disruptions, which might require De Minaur to play three consecutive days as he aims for an impressive tournament run.
On the women’s side of the draw, Australian Maya Joint made a notable performance despite her loss to ninth seed Elina Svitolina. Joint pushed the match to three sets, ultimately falling 6-2, 6-7 (6), 6-4. Her efforts marked a milestone as she became the first Australian woman to clinch a set against a top-10 opponent at this year’s tournament.
Elsewhere in the women’s competition, Daria Kasatkina exited the tournament following a defeat by Spain’s Paula Badosa. Taylah Preston also faced a quick exit, losing 6-1, 6-1 to American Taylor Townsend. Additionally, Kim Birrell was ousted by Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandrova, with scores of 6-1, 2-6, 6-3, rounding off a challenging day for Australian women in the tournament.