Kovacevic Ends Tsitsipas's Winston-Salem Run as Dimitrov and Nishikori Grind Through US Open Qualifying

The last significant hard-court tune-up before Flushing Meadows produced its clearest headline in Winston-Salem, where Aleksandar Kovacevic, ranked No. 89, dismissed Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3 7-6 in the round of 16. The American never allowed the match to settle into the rhythm Tsitsipas prefers, breaking early in the opening set and then holding his nerve through a tense second-set tie-break to close it out in straight sets.

Kovacevic was not the only player to send a seeded name home. James Duckworth beat Lorenzo Sonego 7-5 6-3, a clean straight-sets performance from the Australian against an opponent ranked just above him, while Fabian Marozsan recovered from a poor opening set to defeat Martin Damm 2-6 6-3 6-3. Marozsan's turnaround was the day's best illustration of how quickly momentum can swing on this surface: once the Hungarian shortened his rallies and began stepping inside the baseline, Damm had no reply.

The bulk of the day's tennis, however, came from New York, where the qualifying semifinals reduced both draws to their final round. Kei Nishikori, one of the most decorated names in the field, was efficient in beating Michael Antonius 6-4 6-4. Bu Yunchaokete matched him for economy against Borna Gojo, 6-4 6-4, and Liam Draxl needed only 6-4 6-2 to see off Andrew Johnson. Lloyd Harris produced the longest afternoon among the men, losing the opening set to Henrique Rocha before turning the match around and taking a third-set tie-break, 2-6 6-2 7-6. Zsombor Piros also went the distance, beating Daniil Glinka 6-3 5-7 6-4, while O'Connell C. controlled Nicolai Budkov Kjaer 7-5 6-4.

In the women's qualifying, Heather Watson survived the most demanding contest of the round, edging Angela Fita Boluda 6-4 5-7 7-6. Mary Stoiana came from a set down to beat Katie Swan 6-7 6-3 6-3, Vendula Valdmannova overturned a first-set deficit against Aliaksandra Sasnovich to win 5-7 6-3 6-1, and Storm Hunter closed with a shutout set to beat Yeon Woo Ku 4-6 7-6 6-0. Tamara Zidansek, Nao Hibino, Francesca Jones, Martyna Kubka, Darja Semenistaja, Elvina Kalieva and Kristina Liutova completed the list of winners.

The fixture that will draw most attention on Thursday is the men's qualifying final between Otto Virtanen, No. 108, and Grigor Dimitrov, No. 137. A former top-ranked contender now working his way back through the ranking list, Dimitrov faces a big-serving opponent on a fast surface where a single break can settle a set. It is the most compelling collision of pedigree and current standing in either draw.

He is not alone. Cristian Garin, No. 135, meets Toby Samuel, No. 110, and Dusan Lajovic takes on Chak Lam Coleman Wong. Jacob Fearnley plays Jurij Rodionov, Arthur Gea faces Nishesh Basavareddy, Shintaro Mochizuki meets Francesco Passaro, Vilius Gaubas plays Harry Wendelken, and Zsombor Piros continues against O'Connell C. On the women's side, Julieta Pareja faces Lucrezia Stefanini and Yue Yuan meets Mary Stoiana, both with a main-draw place at stake.