British tennis player Heather Watson has advanced to the second round of US Open qualifying in New York, keeping alive her ambitions of reaching the tournament's main draw for the first time since 2019. The 34-year-old dropped the opening set against sixth-seeded Claire Liu before staging a comeback to secure a 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 victory. Watson, who originally made her main-draw debut at Flushing Meadows fifteen years ago, nearly surrendered a double-break advantage in the deciding set but ultimately maintained her composure. She will next face Spain's Angela Fita Boluda for a spot in the final qualifying round.
Several other British competitors also advanced in the opening round of the men's qualifiers. Toby Samuel overcame a first-set tie-break defeat against Italy's Francesco Maestrelli to win 6-7, 6-3, 6-1, setting up an all-British clash against compatriot Billy Harris. Harris advanced comfortably by defeating Peru's Gonzalo Bueno in straight sets. Jacob Fearnley booked his place in the next round with a 7-6, 6-3 victory over Spain's Roberto Carballes Baena, while Harry Wendelken triumphed over Italy's Stefano Travaglia in three sets. However, the British contingent suffered a couple of losses as Liam Broady and Felix Gill were both eliminated in straight sets by Italian opponents.
Elsewhere in the qualifying draws, China's Zheng Qinwen secured a straight-sets win over compatriot Xiaodi You. The 23-year-old, a two-time quarter-finalist in New York who has slipped down the rankings following elbow surgery, is competing in a Grand Slam qualifying event for the first time in several years. On the men's side, Brazilian prospect Joao Fonseca withdrew from the tournament due to an abdominal injury, stating that he requires further recovery time before returning to top-flight competition.
In the mixed doubles category, Britons Henry Patten and Lloyd Glasspool successfully navigated Monday's qualifying rounds to secure main-draw berths. Patten, partnering with Czech player Katerina Siniakova, earned a straight-sets victory to set up a marquee first-round match against Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka. Glasspool and his partner Erin Routliffe also progressed through qualifying and will face a high-profile opening match against Carlos Alcaraz and Serena Williams. The mixed doubles draw was restructured last year to incorporate top singles players, utilizing a compressed three-day schedule and condensed scoring rules ahead of the main singles tournament.
Competitors must win three successive qualifying matches to earn a spot in the main singles draw, which is scheduled to begin on Sunday.
Reporting based on coverage first published by BBC Sport. Read the original report at BBC Sport.
