Zheng Cruises in Flushing Meadows Qualifying as Grabher Survives Two Tie-Breaks in Philadelphia
Qinwen Zheng needed just two efficient sets to see off Xiaodi You in US Open qualifying, on a day that also delivered Jacob Fearnley's win over Roberto Carballes Baena, a three-set escape for Julia Grabher in Philadelphia and a string of straight-sets statements across the Challenger circuit.
Qinwen Zheng66Xiaodi You32Before the match we said77%Qinwen Zheng
- 7
- Aces
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- Double faults
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The US Open qualifying event supplied the day's headline act. Qinwen Zheng was clinical against Xiaodi You, closing out a 6-3 6-2 win without ever letting the match drift, and the scoreline reflected a performance built on early pressure in return games rather than late heroics. In a round where several contests turned into attrition, Zheng's economy stood out.
The women's qualifying quarterfinals otherwise rewarded the aggressors. Julieta Pareja was the most emphatic winner of the session, dismissing Kayla Day 6-3 6-1, while Elena Pridankina needed only marginally longer to beat Aliona Falei 6-1 6-3. Rebecca Marino handled Fiona Ferro 6-1 6-4, Clara Burel controlled Yexin Ma 6-4 6-2, Lucrezia Stefanini dispatched Ayla Aksu 6-2 6-3 and Alevtina Ibragimova ended Rebecca Sramkova's run 6-2 6-4.
Two matches went the distance in temperament if not always in sets. Iryna Shymanovich edged Rebeka Masarova 6-4 3-6 6-4, recovering after conceding the middle set, and Mariam Bolkvadze denied Erika Andreeva 6-4 7-6 in a second set that came down to a tie-break. Those were the day's tightest margins on the women's side of the qualifying draw.
In the men's qualifying quarterfinals, Jacob Fearnley produced the most notable result, beating Roberto Carballes Baena 7-6 6-3. The opening tie-break was the hinge: once Fearnley took it, the Spaniard's leverage disappeared. Jurij Rodionov was similarly assertive in seeing off Kimmer Coppejans 6-1 6-4, while Frederico Ferreira Silva beat Diego Dedura Palomero 7-5 6-2 and Ji Lee recovered from a set down to defeat Mark Lajal 4-6 6-3 6-3.
The Challenger circuit provided the day's longest struggle. At the WTA event in Philadelphia, Julia Grabher outlasted Veronika Erjavec 7-6 3-6 7-6, winning two tie-breaks and surviving the one set she lost decisively. Elsewhere in that round of 32, Jessica Bouzas Maneiro was efficient in beating Ella Seidel 6-4 6-2, and Kylie Collins delivered the most one-sided result of the day anywhere, brushing aside Jaeda Daniel 6-0 6-2.
On the men's Challenger tour, Roehampton 2 saw Michele Ribecai overwhelm Mark Ceban 6-1 6-2 and Lui Maxted control Anton Shepp 6-3 6-3, while Johannus Monday recovered from losing a first-set tie-break to beat Iliyan Radulov 6-7 6-4 6-1, running away with the decider. Alec Deckers came through qualifying by beating Alexis Gautier 6-4 7-6. In Kingston 2, Aidan Kim (6-2 6-1 over Dan Martin), Evan Zhu (7-5 6-0 against Joshua Sheehy) and Kaylan Bigun (6-1 7-6 over Arklon Huertas Del Pino) all secured main-draw places. On the clay of Augsburg, Max Schoenhaus beat Mili Poljicak 6-4 6-3 and Hynek Barton edged Calvin Hemery 7-5 7-5 in a match of consistently narrow margins.
Tomorrow the focus widens. Winston-Salem opens its round of 128 with Jenson Brooksby (#73) against Stefanos Tsitsipas (#53) as the standout, alongside Mattia Bellucci (#96) versus Luciano Darderi (#22) and an evenly matched Miomir Kecmanovic (#64) against Fabian Marozsan (#63). Monterrey begins with Diane Parry (#50) meeting Donna Vekic (#36) and Clara Tauson (#42) facing home player Renata Zarazua (#71), while Janice Tjen (#35) takes on Dayana Yastremska (#112).
