Dominic Stricker added another entry to Stefanos Tsitsipas' list of early US Open exits with a five-set upset on Wednesday afternoon. The Swiss qualifier advanced to the third round at a major for the first time with a 7-5, 6-7(2), 6-7(5), 7-6(6), 6-3 win against the seventh seed, fighting back from 5-3 down in the fourth set to seal his first Top 10 win.
The Grandstand matchup lasted four hours, four minutes, making it the fifth match of the tournament so far to pass the four-hour mark. Stricker now has a day to recover before meeting Benjamin Bonzi in the third round on Friday.
Here are some fast facts to know about the 21-year-old.
He's not far removed from a decorated junior career
Stricker swept the Roland Garros boys' singles and doubles titles in 2020, beating fellow Swiss Leandro Riedi in the singles final and teaming with Italy's Flavio Cobolli in doubles. He and Cobolli also reached the Roland Garros doubles final in 2019.
He reached a career-high junior ranking of world No. 3 in October 2020.
In 2021, his first season competing on the ATP Tour, Stricker arrived on the scene in style by reaching quarterfinals in his first two main-draw appearances (Geneva, Stuttgart).
He saved a match point in qualifying
The Swiss was on the brink in the second qualifying round against Pablo Llamas Ruiz, but erased a match point en route to a 6-7(2), 6-4, 7-6(11) victory. Seeded 22nd in qualifying, Stricker also dropped the opening set of his play-in campaign to Alexis Galarneau before storming back for a comfortable win.
His US Open run is his best at a Grand Slam
Making his US Open main draw debut against Alexei Popyrin, Stricker earned a four-set win to match his best major result, a second-round run at Wimbledon earlier this summer. By beating Tsitsipas, the Swiss is through to the third round for the first time at a Slam.
He has a golden oppotunity to extend his run against wild card Bonzi in the third round. Both men are ranked outside the Top 100: Stricker at No. 128 and Bonzi at No. 108.
He's knocking on the door of the Top 100
Stricker's career-high ATP ranking is No. 106, achieved in July. But with his third-round run, he sits at No. 101 in the ATP's live rankings. One more win could see him leave New York as high as No. 85—a position that would comfortably earn him direct entry into the Grand Slams.
