Alex de Minaur, Australia’s top-ranked men’s tennis player, successfully kicked off his US Open journey with a decisive straight-sets win against Italian qualifier Andrea Guerrieri. De Minaur, who holds the seventh rank, triumphed with scores of 6-2, 6-2, 6-4. The start of his tournament was marked by delays and a two-hour rain interruption, but he managed to secure victory efficiently in under two hours of actual play. His next challenge will be against Dutch player Botic van de Zandschulp in the second round.
Despite the interruptions caused by persistent rain in New York, De Minaur demonstrated resilience, breaking Guerrieri twice in each set and only losing serve once. His performance indicates his potential to advance further, although the weather conditions might demand him to play three matches over three consecutive days as he aims for a strong presence in the tournament.
In the women’s competition, Australian Maya Joint made headlines despite her loss to ninth seed Elina Svitolina with scores of 6-2, 6-7 (6), 6-4. Joint became the first Australian woman to win a set against a top-10 opponent at this year’s US Open, marking a significant achievement for her.
Elsewhere, Daria Kasatkina was knocked out by Paula Badosa of Spain, while Taylah Preston faced defeat against American Taylor Townsend with a 6-1, 6-1 scoreline. Additionally, Kim Birrell was eliminated by Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandrova, who won 6-1, 2-6, 6-3.