WHAT HAPPENED: On his fourth attempt, qualifier Mattia Bellucci finally scored his first-ever main-draw Grand Slam victory—and with a flourish. After losing five-set heartbreakers at the French Open (to Frances Tiafoe) and Wimbledon (to Ben Shelton), the Italian lefty advanced to the second round of the 2024 US Open by defeating none other than wild card and 2016 champ Stan Wawrinka in straight sets, 6-4, 7-6(5), 6-3.
In his 17th appearance at Flushing Meadows, Wawrinka was vying to become the third man aged 39 or older to win a main-draw match at the US Open—after Jimmy Connors and Ken Rosewall achieved the feat in 1992 and 1977, respectively. But the three-time Grand Slam champion—who is currently ranked 176 in the world—came into the match just 5-11 on the year, and zero of the wins he has recorded occurred on hard courts. Bellucci, on the other hand, has steadily risen up the ranks in just the last few months. He is the only man to qualify for three Grand Slam tournaments in 2024, and in July he reached his first tour-level quarterfinal at a US Open tune-up event in Atlanta.
Perhaps owing to that strong run of form and the fact that he already played three matches on the grounds of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in qualifying, Bellucci stayed slightly more consistent throughout the first set—even as Wawrinka pummeled the shots that won him three majors. Bellucci—whose groundstrokes themselves are no slouch—broke his opponent twice, and although the Italian handed one break back after committing several unforced errors of his own, he never fell behind in the scoreline, taking the first set 6-4 in 36 minutes.
Little separated the pair for much of the second, with neither player able to make serious inroads on the other’s serve. Bellucci remained slightly more consistent, committing fewer unforced errors, winning all five of the points he played at the net (where Wawrinka struggled for much of the night) and better defending his second serve. And in the tiebreak, those small x’s and o’s made all the difference. Wawrinka hit a second serve at 5-6, then sent a volley long to give his opponent a two-set advantage.
Of course, Wawrinka knows a thing—or six—about a comeback from two-sets-to-love down. Emboldened by a raucous Stadium 17 crowd that cheered on his every shot, the former world No. 3 began to play more freely to start the third. But he ultimately could not sustain the momentum. Bellucci broke him in the sixth game, then capably held his serve—ending it with an ace—to reach a major career milestone: his first second round at a Grand Slam.
WHAT IT MEANS: Bellucci next faces Christopher O'Connell in the second round. It will be the first meeting between the two players.
MATCH POINT: Bellucci is one of six Italian men to make the second round so far.
