Alex de Minaur headlined the Aussie winners list on day one of the US Open, advancing to the second round alongside Ajla Tomljanovic and Jordan Thompson, whilst John Millman and Daria Saville unfortunately bowed out.
[18] Alex De Minaur (AUS) def Filip Krajinovic (SRB) 7-5, 6-2, 6-3
Our top ranked Australian player has kicked off his US Open campaign in perfect fashion with a straight sets victory over Serbian Filip Krajinovic.
De Minaur, who has enjoyed a strong year at Grand Slam level, reaching the fourth round at both Wimbledon and the Australian Open, will be setting his sights on an even deeper run in New York.
Despite dropping serve on multiple occasions early in the opening set, the 23-year-old rallied as usual, putting pressure on the Serbian’s serve and capitalising on four of his five break point chances.
The second and third sets were far more straightforward as the Aussie was able to find comfortable service holds of his own, whilst continuing to pester the Krajinovic serve.
Speaking post-match, De Minaur discussed the mentality which helped him move into the last 64.
“The one thing I would say that I had coming into this match, which I probably haven't had before, is the confidence in myself that I'm very tough to be over five sets,” De Minaur said.
“I was ready to play for as long as I needed to and that gave me a lot of confidence”.
The Aussie also described the pace of the Flushing Meadows surface – courts which are generally considered slower hard courts, in comparison to Melbourne Park.
“[The courts] feel quite quick, especially when it is hot out there, so at times it feels a little tough to control the ball”, the Australian said.
“When someone hits a good strike in, you need to try care for the ball a lot more.”
De Minaur now progresses to the second round where he will face Chilean Christian Garin.
The pair have previously met four times, with the Aussie triumphing on three out of four occasions, including at the 2019 US Open.
However, in their most recent meeting at Wimbledon, it was Garin who came out victorious despite De Minaur having match points – so getting revenge will no doubt be on the mind of the Australian.
Jordan Thompson (AUS) def Lorenzo Sonego (ITA) 2-6, 1-6, 6-2, 6-4, 6-4
28-year-old Australian Jordan Thompson completed a remarkable comeback out on Court 11 on Day 1 at Flushing Meadows, coming from two-sets-to-love down to defeat Italy's Lorenzo Sonego.
Thompson was no match for the lanky Italian in the opening two sets, unable to work his way into the match, the Aussie fell two sets behind in just 65 minutes and an early exit beckoned.
But the Aussie refused to give in, slowly but surely fighting his way back in to the match.
Thompson took the third set and with relative ease to keep the match alive, and kept fighting, forcing a fifth and eventually running over the top of his higher-ranked opponent.
A match full of extended rallies - just the way Thompson likes it - left Sonego unable to move by the end of the match, and the Italian required both Thompson and a trainer to help him off the court.
Thompson's second round opponent will be Colombian qualifier Daniel Elahi Galan - who shocked No. 4 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in remarkable fashion 6-0, 6-1, 3-6, 7-5.
Ajla Tomljanovic (AUS) def Karolina Muchova (CZE) 6-3, 7-6(5)
Our highest ranked Australian woman who also won her way through to the second round, after a hard-fought victory over Karolina Muchova.
The victory helps Tomljanovic to continue building on what has been a very strong season, having defended her Wimbledon quarterfinal and reached the last eight of a WTA 1000 event for the first time earlier this month.
Knowing that Muchova was going to be a difficult opponent to conquer, the Australian came out firing and raced to a 5-1 lead in the first set – a lead which she maintained to take the opener 6-3.
As expected, Muchova’s level rose in the second, breaking the Tomljanovic serve at 5-5 and giving herself the chance to serve for a decider.
However, the Aussie responded with a break to love before playing a strong tiebreak to move into the US Open round of 64 for the sixth time.
Despite her ranking sitting at 46, largely due to the WTA’s Wimbledon points strip, Tomljanovic maintains the belief that she can match it with anyone on tour.
“The player that I am, I think on my day, I can beat anyone if I’m playing good tennis”, she said.
Tomljanovic will now face Evgeniya Rodina in the second round – a 33-year-old Russian who is contesting her first WTA event since June 2019 – a match the Aussie will assuredly enter as the favourite.
John Millman (AUS) def by [WC] Emilio Nava (USA) 6-7(7), 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-1, 1-6
If there's one thing Australian John Millman is known for - it's his fighting spirit and his knack for getting himself involved in five-set affairs at the majors.
The 33-year-old's best career run came at the US Open back in 2018, when he famously took down Roger Federer en route to a run to the quarterfinals, but Millman was unfortunately unable to rediscover that form on Monday, succumbing to American world No. 203 Emilio Nava in a typical five-set battle on Court 7.
The American wildcard, competing in just his second career major main draw broke Millman early, but the Aussie fought back, eventually forcing a tiebreaker in the opening set. Unfortunately for Millman, he was unable to take his opportunities, losing the tiebreaker 7-9.
Millman fought back - as he always does, taking the second set to level the match, but soon found himself behind again after the 20-year-old local stole the third set in a tiebreaker to edge ahead in the contest.
Millman wasted no time getting the match back on his terms though, crushing Nava from the baseline to take the fourth set 6-1.
The Australian entered the fifth set with all the momentum, but the match was once again quickly flipped on its head, with Nava blazing away to an early lead, eventually running away with the win in five sets.
Daria Saville (AUS) def by Elena-Gabriela Ruse (ROU) 6-3, 2-6, 4-6
Daria Saville was unfortunately unable to advance to the second round of the US Open, crashing out on day one to Romanian Elena-Gabriela Ruse in a tight battle on Court 6.
Saville came into the tournament with high hopes after reaching the final of the WTA Tour event in Granby last week, but competing in the final less than 48 hours before her first round match in New York ultimately led to Saville's demise, with the Aussie running out of steam as the sun set over the courts of Flushing Meadows on Monday.
The world No. 58 got off to the perfect start, taking the opening set relatively unchallenged, but from that point onwards it was an uphill battle for Saville.
24-year-old Elena-Gabriela Ruse, competing in just her second career US Open main draw, lifted her level significantly and proved too strong for Saville, who fought hard as always, but simply couldn't crack the Romanian's strong baseline game.
Despite the loss, Saville is set to rise back inside the top 50 in the WTA Singles Rankings.
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