Under a sunny sky in Armstrong Stadium, a star was born. Or is, at least, readying to start her rise.
American Ashlyn Krueger, newly 20 years old and with a big smile on her face, propelled herself into the growing ranks of "cool, young American players" on Thursday, a widening circle of home favorites enamoring tennis fans and delighting Americans on their New York City home turf.
It’s been a quick rise: After all, Krueger tallied her first-ever Grand Slam win just days ago,
That first-round match, a 0-6, 6-1, 7-5 against Zhang Shuai, made her the second woman in the Open Era to come back from a 0-6 first set deficit at the US Open to win their match (less than 12 hours after Clara Burel put herself in history by doing that), and her second round saw her upset 17-year-old No. 21 seed Mirra Andreeva with 6-1, 6-4 authority.
Not bad for someone fresh off their first Slam win. Of course, as the saying goes, it takes years to become an overnight success.
For Krueger, the road to New York City started 14 years ago–as a 6-year-old hitting balls against the backboard of a Missouri driveway. Growing up with an Iowa State tennis alumna as her mother, she was introduced to the game early and took to its individual nature quickly.
“I really fell in love with it from a young age,” she said. “Especially as a girl, I love just being able to figure it out on my own on the court.”
The love has taken her far. After doing her time on the junior circuit, headlined by a 2020 Orange Bowl singles win and the 2021 US Open girls’ doubles title, Krueger turned pro in 2021 and has since leapt from No. 536 to her current slot of No. 59. This season was the first that she stepped foot in the main draw of any Slam outside of the US Open–so she went ahead and made it into all four, as the cherry on top.
Thursday’s second round win against Andreeva, who was recently a semifinalist at Roland Garros, was a peak in a season that seems to be falling together quite well.
But anyone looking for forehand tips or serving strategies to help boost a young career would be looking in the wrong place. “A lot of it stems from being relaxed outside of the tennis court,” Krueger said of what’s going right this season. “When you get wins, obviously you get more confident. But I think enjoying myself outside of tennis and just being myself on the court, that’s where my confidence comes from.”
“I try to have fun in everything that I do, and I love laughing, and I enjoy positive people,” she said.
In the mindset area, Krueger has some support in Jessica Pegula, current world No. 6 and established American star. The two met through Krueger’s current and Pegula’s former coach, Michael Joyce, and Pegula has become somewhat of a mentor for Krueger as she finds her footing in the big leagues.
“She’s helped me more on the mental side, with like telling me I belong here, and just really helping me find my place. And that’s half the battle when you get to these tournaments,” Krueger said.
Pegula, for her part, is a big Krueger fan.
“When she’s clicking, she can be a really big threat,” said Pegula of her mentee, whose match she watched today before heading out for her own. “She’s tall, good serve, power game. Kind of reminds me of a raw, young [Elena] Rybakina a little bit.”
“It's nice to be a little bit of a mentor and just let her know I'm here to talk if she ever wants to talk. I remember when I was younger, if a top player ever said something to me, I felt like it gave you a lot of confidence and gave you kind of a boost,” Pegula added.
So what is the power-playing 20 year-old reaching for next?
“Be the best that I can be, Top 10, win a Slam,” Krueger said, adding with a laugh, “Like everyone says.”
But for Krueger, that future looks pretty bright. Keep an eye out, because one day she just might be the next young American to make her dreams come true.
