Hometown favorites Noah Rubin, Jamie Loeb and Christina McHale have trained locally since childhood at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, and the New York and New Jersey natives embraced their home crowds in Round 1 of US Open Qualifying action on Tuesday.
Rubin, born and raised in Merrick, N.Y., was first on Court 11 at 11 a.m., drawing the biggest crowd of the tournament thus far, with supporters filling the stands and chanting, “Let’s go, Rubin,” as early as the coin toss.
Currently ranked No. 195 in the ATP rankings, the 23-year-old Rubin, who is the founder of Instagram’s “Behind the Racquet” series, a platform with close to 14,000 followers that gives tennis players a voice beyond the tennis court, has competed in the main draw of the US Open in both 2014 and 2018.
While he enjoys playing in front of the home crowd, he also acknowledged there are pressures that go along with it.
“The home crowd felt good,” said Rubin following his 6-2, 6-3, first-round victory over Gianluca Mager of Italy. “I always feel so much pressure being out there, though. Everyone wants to support, but sometimes for me, it’s a lot. I do my best in Australia because I am so far away from everybody, and I can focus on my routines. Here, I am at home. My family is coming, my third-grade teacher is here, the whole thing. I try to enjoy it as much as I can, and I did today. The first win definitely helps moving forward. More than anything, I just want to have fun and enjoy myself, and that is why I am here.”
Loeb, from Ossining, N.Y., also drew a significant crowd in her first-round qualifying match against No. 29 seed Harriet Dart of England. The former University of North Carolina Tarheel (2013-15) played her only US Open main draw in 2015, when she earned a wild card as the NCAA singles champion. She made her Arthur Ashe Stadium debut that year against Caroline Wozniacki.
“It’s always great having a home crowd,” said Loeb following her 6-2, 7-6 loss to Dart on Tuesday. “I wish I could’ve pulled it out today, but it’s tough. It was hot out there. I think we both weren’t playing our best, but it’s nice being on a home court. Playing at home is a little stressful, but having people on your side and cheering for you is a nice feeling.”
McHale, from Teaneck, N.J., was a 6-3, 6-2 winner in her first-round qualifying match against Italy’s Martina Di Giuseppe. Now at No. 103 in the world, McHale was ranked as high as No. 24 in August 2012 and has made it to the third round of all four Grand Slams.
“The US Open is the event I look forward to all year long. It is 20 minutes away from my house, and my whole family comes to support,” McHale said. “It felt good to get the first one out of the way in front of a decent-sized crowd. I definitely felt nervous, but I enjoyed playing in front of the home crowd.
“I’ve been coming here since I was 10 years old, and my favorite courts were always Grandstand and Armstrong, and I never wanted to leave. I actually had a couple of matches on those courts throughout the years. The stadiums were erupting, like shaking, during one of the matches I played over there. I get sentimental.”
Qualifying Round 2 action gets underway Wednesday, with the tournament continuing through Friday. Rubin is scheduled to take on Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain in his next match, and McHale will face Peng Shuai of China.
