O'Connell comes through against Piros in US Open qualifying

Christopher O'Connell advanced past Zsombor Piros in the final round of US Open qualifying, taking the opening set 7-5 before the Hungarian forced a tiebreak and claimed the second 7-6. The margins were slim throughout: O'Connell landed only 50.7 percent of his first serves but won 77.1 percent of those points, against 69.8 percent for Piros, and that gap on first-strike quality proved the difference. Piros struck nine aces to O'Connell's four, yet neither man was comfortable behind the second ball, the Australian winning 47.1 percent there and Piros 43.2. For O'Connell, it meant a place in the main draw.