Ashlyn Krueger's first-round win over Zhang Shuai on Day 2 at the 2024 US Open was a milestone in more ways than one.
Not only was a 0-6, 6-1, 7-5 triumph the 20-year-old American's first Grand Slam main-draw win, it was also the sixth time at a major this year that a WTA player won a match after failing to win a game in the first set: a new Open Era record.
Wilder still? It came less than 12 hours after France's Clara Burel accomplished the same feat as the first woman to do it at the US Open in the Open Era. The 22-year-old former junior world No. 1 lost the first nine games against 2017 US Open winner Sloane Stephens in Arthur Ashe Stadium on Monday night before coming all the way back in her 0-6, 7-5, 7-5 triumph.
Burel's effort tied the previous watershed mark for such escapes, per the ATP and WTA's statistical service. The year 2003 saw five comebacks in which the winner started 6-0 down.
WTA Players to Win 2024 Grand Slam Matches After 6-0 First Set
- Wang Yafan def. Sorana Cirstea (Australian Open) - 0-6, 7-5, 6-2
- Wang Xinyu def. Jule Niemeier (Roland Garros) - 0-6, 6-2, 6-4
- Olga Danilovic def. Donna Vekic (Roland Garros) - 0-6, 7-5, 7-6(6)
- Clara Burel def. Sloane Stephens (US Open) - 0-6, 7-5, 7-5
- Ashlyn Krueger def. Zhang Shuai (US Open) - 0-6, 6-1, 7-5
All but one of those matches were first-round affairs, with Serb Danilovic's win over Vekic (who went on to win the silver medal at the Paris Olympics just two months later) coming in Round 3.
Kreuger will face either fellow young talent, 17-year-old No. 21 seed Mirra Andreeva or former US Open junior winner Camila Osorio of Colombia in Round 2. Veteran 35-year-old Zhang, while still a strong doubles player, has lost 23 straight singles matches dating back to February of 2023.
