It was a big Day 2 for the Americans at their home Grand Slam tournament. Under the hot New York City sun, veterans and rookies alike stepped out in front of rowdy home crowds–but how did it all play out?
On the very top of the bill, No. 6 Jessica Pegula and No. 14 Tommy Paul were among the headlining names in action, while No. 11 seed Danielle Collins saw her US Open career end at the hands of another American, Caroline Dolehide, in her final Grand Slam singles match.
Beneath the big names, though, a corral of young Americans took to the courts in Flushing – many to play in or win the Slam match of their career. Here’s what you need to know about the American matchups you may not have heard about before Tuesday began.
An inaugural Grand Slam win for Ashlyn Krueger
It was a monumental day for young Ashlyn Krueger, who came back from a bageled first set to tally her first ever Grand Slam main draw win, a 0-6, 6-1, 7-5 victory over China’s Shuai Zhang.
The 20 year-old currently sits at a ranking of No. 59, the latest peak of a number that’s been steadily rising since she turned pro in 2021. Her triumph Tuesday came in the midst of both her fourth US Open main-draw appearance and the first year that she has stepped foot into the main draw of all four Slams in a row–or of any Slam besides the US Open, for that matter.
Against Zhang, she took a few minutes to find her footing. Krueger fell out to an early deficit that turned into a 6-0 first set for her Chinese opponent, a 35 year-old veteran who boasts two Grand Slam quarterfinals, but hasn't won a singles match in 18 months. It didn’t take long for the young American to rise to the occasion, however–she broke Zhang straight out of the gate in the second set, and didn’t let up on the gas again on her way to a 6-1 second-set victory.
She wrapped up the match by weathering a mid-set Zhang comeback to take the third set 7-5 for the match victory. Next up, Krueger will meet another young player and one of the tour’s rising stars in 17 year-old Mirra Andreeva, which will be a second-round matchup to keep an eye on.
Rising stars battle in All-American showdown
One of three all-American matches of the day, and the only one on the men’s side of the draw, was a battle of two up-and-comers: Alex Michelsen, 20, playing in his second US Open main draw, and qualifier Eliot Spizzirri, 22, in his first Grand Slam main-draw ever.
After a dominant first set by Michelsen, recent Texas tennis grad Spizzirri took the reins to roll out to a 5-1 lead in the second set. But Michelsen just wouldn’t let that fly – he jetted off on a six-game streak to ground Spizzirri’s comeback effort, taking the second set 7-5 before pocketing the third set and the match with less trouble.
Michelsen, No. 49, is a rising star for the U.S. men. Coming off a season that’s seen him play in every Slam’s main draw and sliding past stars like Taylor Fritz and Alex de Minaur, the young American is on his way up.
His second-round matchup with be a tough one against the tour’s No. 1 Jannik Sinner.
Some red-white-and-blue bad luck
For a large swath of the home team's young favorites, however, Day 2 of the Open's first round brought tough defeats.
Each of the four American wild cards playing Tuesday–USTA boys' 18s singles champion Matthew Forbes, NCAA women’s singles champion Alexa Noel, as well as Zachary Svajda and Learner Tien, were all beaten.
For the second time in three US Opens, Tien, 19, won a set against a seeded player, but No. 24 Arthur Fils proved too much for him and eventually won in four.
A couple unlucky Americans also lined up against some of the tournament’s biggest stars, also to avail. Mackenzie McDonald fell to Sinner despite leading the No. 1 by a set and a break, and U.S. Olympian Marcos Giron was knocked down by No. 10 Aussie Alex de Minaur, also in four.
Veteran Lepchenko is a bright spot
But qualifier Varvara Lepchenko was able to slightly lighten the mood for the fans. The former Top 20 player (No. 19 in 2012) successfully reached the second round after just three games when her opponent, Czech Brenda Fruhvirtova, retired 15 minutes into their Round 1 match.
She'll face Anastasia Potapova next, after the world No. 38 defeated former US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez.
