Day two of Round 1 play at the 2024 US Open is action-packed for the stars and stripes.
Top Americans Tommy Paul, Sebastian Korda and Jessica Pegula are set to kick off their US Open campaigns, while Danielle Collins and Shelby Rogers are set to kick off the final Grand Slam of their careers.
But also Tuesday’s pool of players are a group under-the-radar American qualifiers and wild cards seeking to make a splash. Three are making their Grand Slam and/or main pro tour debuts, four play or have played college tennis, and five are age 22 and under, showcasing the next crop of promising U.S. talent.
With 20 American players scheduled to take the court in all, here’s a deeper look into the six qualifiers and wild cards vying for a spot in Round 2.
Matthew Forbes
Matthew Forbes will be making his US Open main-draw and ATP-level debut Tuesday against Roman Safiullin. The 18-year-old American earned a wildcard into the main draw after winning the USTA Boys’ 18 and under National Championships in Kalamazoo earlier this month. Forbes will also join the ever-growing pack of college tennis players as he is currently a freshman member of the Michigan State Spartans.
According to Michigan State University athletics, Forbes is the first-ever Spartan to play at the US Open.
The American achieved a career-high ranking of No. 34 on the juniors tour in January of this year. He also reached his best junior Grand Slam results at Wimbledon this year and the US Open last year (pictured below) by making the Round of 32 in both tournaments.
Eliot Spizzirri
Although 22-year-old Eliot Spizzirri will be playing in his first ever US Open main draw tournament this year, he is no stranger to the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. The Greenwich, Conn. native used to train part-time in Flushing Meadows which will give him a sense of familiarity heading into Tuesday’s match against another young and promising U.S. talent Alex Michelsen.
Spizzirri earned his way into this year’s main draw, winning all three of his qualifying matches against Gregoire Barrere, Joris De Loore, and 2023 US Open junior boys' champion Joao Fonseca.
The 22-year-old played college tennis at the University of Texas and dominated the college field: He was the 2023 and 2024 ITA Player of the Year, one of just four to ever do that.
The former Texas Longhorn has had a great record this year, with 23 match wins and picking up two USTA Pro Circuit titles on hardcourts. Spizzirri made his ATP tour level tournament debut on the grass in Newport in July as a wildcard, where he earned his first ATP win against Australian Li Tu, then lost in the Round of 16 against another Australian Aleksandar Vukic.
Learner Tien
Learner Tien may be a familiar name to US Open fans: The talented 19-year-old was beaten by Fonseca in last year's junior final. Making his third US Open appearance as a wild card, the young American has built up a lot of momentum this year in the hopes of improving on his Round 1 result from the last two years.
Like many of his young American compatriots, Tien played college tennis for a semester at the University of Southern California before turning pro in 2023. As for his year on the ITF circuit and Challenger tour, Tien is having one heck of a year boasting a 39-6 record which includes four hard-court titles and a 28-match win streak on that surface.
At ATP level, Tien made his first quarterfinal in Winston-Salem just prior to the Open, taking out two Top 100 opponents in Fabian Marozsan and Thiago Seyboth Wild before falling to two-time US Open semifinalist Pablo Carreno Busta.
Tien’s first round match will certainly be one to look out for as he’s scheduled to play the No. 24 seed and 2024 ATP Next Gen hopeful Arthur Fils in R1.
Zachary Svajda
The veteran of this young group, Svajda debuted in the pro ranks in 2019 and is making his third US Open appearance as a wild card this year. His best result came back in 2021 where he made the second round, and his win over Italian Marco Cecchinato marked his first Grand Slam and ATP level win. Over the years, the American has spent the most of his time on the ITF and ATP Challenger circuits, winning a total of seven titles between the two, all on hard courts, since 2021.
The California native has played six tour-level events this year with his best ATP result coming last week in Winston Salem, reaching the third round as a lucky loser. Svajda beat Laslo Djere, then went on to secure the biggest win of his young career, beating world No. 29 and No. 3 seed Francisco Cerundolo before losing to Pavel Kotov.
Svajda looks to match his 2021 second round result as he faces No. 30 seed Matteo Arnaldi in Round 1.
Alexa Noel
21-year-old wildcard Alexa Noel will be making her main tour and Grand Slam main draw debut here in New York. She is the second American wildcard making her WTA pro tour debut alongside fellow American Iva Jovic who won her match against Magda Linette on Monday.
Noel is another college tennis product. Originally starting her journey at the University of Iowa, she transferred to the University of Miami in 2022, and this year was crowned the NCAA Division I women’s singles champion, granting her a wild card to this year’s tournament.
A former junior Wimbledon finalist, Noel has played a limited number of pro tour events on the ITF circuit, and owns one pro title won in 2020.
Varvara Lepchenko
Tour veteran Varvara Lepchenko will be making her 11th main draw appearance at Flushing Meadows, and her first since 2019. She successfully earned her spot through qualifying, beating Tamara Zidansek (Q1), fellow American Valerie Glozman (Q2), and Despina Papamichail (Q3).
The 38-year-old, who is 21 years older than her second-round qualifying foe Glozman, has been playing mostly on the ITF circuit since May of 2023 and made a couple of main tour appearances. Lepchenko played one WTA tournament this year back in July, where she made the second round in Iasi, Romania.
But the former world No. 21 has made a deep run in New York before: the fourth round back in 2015. Her veteran experience will be a welcomed advantage Tuesday as she is set to take on young Czech player Brenda Fruhvirtova.
