Zheng Qinwen Powers Through US Open Qualifying as Fearnley Survives Three-Set Test
Qinwen Zheng dismissed Clara Burel 6-1 7-5 to reach the final round of US Open qualifying, on a day when Jacob Fearnley, Carson Branstine and a wave of British Challenger winners at Roehampton all booked their next assignments.
Qinwen Zheng67
Clara Burel15Before the match we said71%Qinwen Zheng
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- Aces
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The qualifying rounds at Flushing Meadows produced the day's most eye-catching name. Qinwen Zheng needed only a handful of games to establish control against Clara Burel, sweeping the opening set 6-1 and then holding firm through a tighter second, closing it 7-5 to move within one win of the main draw. It was the performance of a player operating a level above the qualifying norm, and it sets up a final-round meeting that will be one of tomorrow's central storylines.
Zheng was far from alone in advancing efficiently. Gabriela Andrea Knutson was the most emphatic winner of the women's qualifying semifinals, brushing aside Dominika Salkova 6-3 6-1, while Elena Pridankina ended Rebecca Marino's run 6-2 6-4 and Robin Montgomery got past Jeline Vandromme 7-5 6-3. Mariam Bolkvadze accounted for Alevtina Ibragimova 6-4 6-3 and Anouk Koevermans edged out Linda Klimovicova 6-3 7-5, both winners now a match away from a Grand Slam main draw.
Two results stood out for the names they eliminated. Carson Branstine came through 6-4 7-5 against Linda Fruhvirtova, controlling the decisive moments of both sets, and Polina Iatcenko needed three to remove Lucia Bronzetti, recovering from a 3-6 second set to win 6-2 3-6 6-3. Bronzetti's exit was the heaviest name to fall on the women's side.
The men's qualifying draw was similarly unforgiving. Jacob Fearnley was pushed the distance by Luka Pavlovic before prevailing 6-4 6-7 6-4, a scoreline that reflected how little separated the pair after the Briton let a two-set opportunity slip. Chak Lam Coleman Wong was cleaner, beating Lukas Neumayer 6-3 6-3, and Vilius Gaubas produced arguably the day's most notable men's result by defeating former top-30 player Marco Cecchinato 6-4 6-3. Tomas Barrios Vera was ruthless against Olivieri G. A., winning 6-3 6-1.
Elsewhere in the men's qualifying, Daniel Rincon recovered from a lost second set to beat Janet Lee 6-3 4-6 6-1, Aziz Dougaz outlasted Kyrian Jacquet 6-4 4-6 6-4, Andrea Guerrieri turned around a slow start to defeat Joel Schwaerzler 3-6 6-4 6-1, and Jurij Rodionov closed out Frederico Ferreira Silva 6-2 3-6 6-1.
At Challenger level, Roehampton 2 belonged to the home contingent. Oliver Tarvet was the most convincing, dropping only four games in a 6-4 6-0 dismissal of Oliver Bonding. Charles Broom beat Patrick Brady 6-4 6-1, Max Basing survived a bizarre swing of momentum to defeat Alec Deckers 7-6 0-6 6-4, and Johannus Monday recovered from losing the opener to see off Lui Maxted 1-6 6-3 7-6. In Kingston, Miguel L. A. beat Thomas Fancutt 6-2 6-3 and Aidan Mayo edged Benjamin Willwerth 6-4 2-6 6-4, while on the Augsburg clay Marvin Moeller defeated Matias Soto 6-3 7-6 and Facundo Mena held off Kai Wehnelt 7-6 7-5. In Philadelphia, Mananchaya Sawangkaew beat Lizette Cabrera 6-2 7-6.
Tomorrow, Zheng faces Pridankina for a main-draw place, with Branstine meeting Montgomery and Bolkvadze taking on Koevermans in the other women's finals. Fearnley draws Rodionov, Rincon plays Barrios Vera and Dougaz meets Guerrieri on the men's side. Away from New York, Stefanos Tsitsipas (No. 53) faces Aleksandar Kovacevic (No. 89) in Winston-Salem, Ekaterina Alexandrova (No. 19) meets Clara Tauson (No. 42) in Monterrey, and Roehampton's all-British quarterfinal between Basing and Broom headlines the Challenger day.
