Gaston Qualifies and Lands Medvedev as US Open Main Draw Opens
A long day of US Open qualifying finals sent Hugo Gaston, Rei Sakamoto and Tamara Zidansek through to Flushing Meadows at the expense of Colton Smith, Kei Nishikori and Bianca Andreescu, and set up a first round in which Aryna Sabalenka, Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic all begin work.
Rei Sakamoto67Kei Nishikori46Before the match we said50%Rei Sakamoto
- 18
- Aces
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- Double faults
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The last gate into the US Open closed overnight, and it closed on some familiar names. Hugo Gaston recovered from a one-sided opening set to beat Colton Smith 1-6 6-4 6-2, the sort of tactical reset that has become the Frenchman's signature, and his reward is immediate and severe: a first-round meeting with Daniil Medvedev, the world number eight. Few qualifiers arrive with less margin for error, and few opponents are less forgiving of the slow, junk-ball rhythms Gaston prefers on hard courts.
The most striking result of the qualifying finals belonged to Rei Sakamoto, who beat Kei Nishikori 6-4 7-6 to reach the main draw. Nishikori, a former finalist in New York, could not force a deciding set once the second went to a tie-break, and the generational handover was completed in straight sets. Elsewhere in the men's draw, Federico Cina came from a set down to edge Bu Yunchaokete 3-6 6-4 7-5, Dalibor Svrcina turned around a first-set deficit against Mackenzie McDonald to win 4-6 6-2 7-5, and Tristan Schoolkate survived the longest afternoon of all, beating Liam Draxl 4-6 7-5 7-6.
On the women's side, Tamara Zidansek ended Bianca Andreescu's qualifying campaign 2-6 6-3 6-4, absorbing a heavy opening set before turning the match on her legs and depth. Qinwen Zheng also came through the round, beating Elena Pridankina 6-4 3-6 6-0 with a ruthless final set, while Storm Hunter (6-4 6-1 over Darja Semenistaja), Kristina Liutova (6-4 6-0 against Martyna Kubka) and Lucie Havlickova (6-0 6-4 over Nao Hibino) were the most economical winners. Harriet Dart came from behind in an all-British contest to beat Heather Watson 2-6 6-4 6-1, and Arantxa Rus, Francesca Jones, Mary Stoiana, Elvina Kalieva, Himeno Sakatsume and Anouk Koevermans completed the list.
Away from New York, Ignacio Buse produced the performance of the week at Winston-Salem, beating Benjamin Bonzi 6-2 4-6 6-1 to reach the final. He will meet Arthur Fery, whose semifinal against James Duckworth was recorded at 6-4 and did not go the distance. In Monterrey, Diane Parry edged Ann Li 7-6 6-4 to book her place in the final, while at the Philadelphia Challenger the title match will pit Tereza Valentova, a 6-3 6-1 winner over Julia Grabher, against Katie Volynets, who beat Oksana Selekhmeteva 6-3 7-6. Volynets faces a rapid change of scenery: she is scheduled to open against sixth-ranked Linda Noskova in New York.
The Challenger circuit also settles its accounts. Andres Andrade beat Rodrigo Pacheco Mendez 6-3 3-6 6-4 and Aidan Mayo dispatched Miguel L. A. 6-3 6-4 to set the Kingston final, while Cezar Cretu, a 6-3 7-5 winner over Sandro Kopp, meets Facundo Mena for the Augsburg title on clay. At Roehampton, Charles Broom and George Loffhagen contest an all-British final on hard.
Then the main event. Aryna Sabalenka opens against Camila Osorio, Elena Rybakina faces the unranked Thea Frodin, and Jessica Pegula draws Elena Gabriela Ruse. Coco Gauff meets Zeynep Sonmez, Mirra Andreeva plays Janice Tjen, Iga Swiatek takes on Xiyu Wang and Karolina Muchova faces Sinja Kraus. In the men's draw, Carlos Alcaraz begins against Roman Safiullin and Novak Djokovic against Mariano Navone, with Alexander Zverev drawn against Lorenzo Sonego in the most awkward opener at the top of the sheet. Ben Shelton meets Tallon Griekspoor, Alex de Minaur faces Andrea Guerrieri and Taylor Fritz plays Darwin Blanch.