Alex de Minaur, Australia’s top-ranked men’s tennis player, successfully launched his US Open journey by defeating Italian qualifier Andrea Guerrieri in straight sets. Despite facing delays and weather interruptions, the seventh-seeded de Minaur secured a 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 victory. His opening match was postponed and then disrupted by a two-hour rain delay, but he managed to complete it in under two hours of playtime. De Minaur is set to meet Dutch competitor Botic van de Zandschulp in the second round.
The match saw de Minaur break Guerrieri’s serve twice in each set while conceding his own serve only once, showcasing a strong start to his campaign. The tournament schedule has been heavily impacted by continuous rain in New York, which could potentially necessitate de Minaur playing three consecutive matches if he advances further in the tournament.
On the women’s side, Australian Maya Joint made headlines by becoming the first Australian woman at this year’s tournament to take a set from a top-10 opponent. Despite her strong performance, she fell to ninth seed Elina Svitolina in a hard-fought match that ended 6-2, 6-7 (6), 6-4.
Other Australian players faced challenges as well. Daria Kasatkina exited the competition after being defeated by Spain’s Paula Badosa. Meanwhile, Taylah Preston was overpowered by American Taylor Townsend in a decisive 6-1, 6-1 loss. Kim Birrell also saw her US Open journey come to an end after losing 6-1, 2-6, 6-3 to Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandrova.