WHAT HAPPENED: Opening day at the 2022 US Open on Monday featured humidity, sunshine, and big crowds at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center—and an early men’s upset by American wild card J.J. Wolf.
Leading off on Court 5, No. 87 Wolf showed Spain’s No. 16 seed Roberto Bautista Agut a quick exit at the year’s last Grand Slam with a convincing 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 triumph.
The 23-year-old former Ohio State collegiate standout and one of eight wild card entrants, Wolf kept his poise and, with a handful of shirt changes, his cool to dispatch the veteran Spaniard in a tidy 2 hours and 13 minutes for the biggest win of his career.
“I just tried to not let my foot off the gas,” Wolf said.
Wolf rode a big serve—14 aces and just four break points—and solid baseline play featuring 46 winners to reverse a three-set loss to Bautista Agut in their only previous meeting earlier this year at Indian Wells.
“To do this in front of a home crowd means so much more,” Wolf said in his post-match TV interview after taking a celebration lap to the cheers of the fans.
Wolf got an early service break for a 3-2 first-set lead. In the middle set, he broke in the ninth game for a 5-4 lead. In the last set, Wolf broke for a 2-1 lead on a Bautista Agut double fault.
The American wrapped up the match in style with a love service game finishing with back-to-back aces.
WHAT IT MEANS: Wolf’s decisive victory is a continuation of a breakout summer campaign for the right-hander who turned pro in 2019. He made the Washington quarterfinals and reached a career high No. 83 world ranking earlier this month.
It has been pretty much a breakthrough year in general for Wolf, who started the season No. 247 in the world. But he fought his way up, accumulating a host of ranking points and wins by playing 11 Challenger tour events. Wolf also reached the second rounds at both Indian Wells and Miami.
Wolf is assured of his biggest check of the season with a $121,000 payout for second-round losers.
MATCH POINT: Wolf made the third round in his US Open debut in 2020. Will he be able to make it through again?
