WHAT HAPPENED: Facing a qualifier in the first round of a major is no easy task. Not only are they coming off of a few match wins, but the confidence with which they enter the main draw is high, and they’re playing with nothing to lose.
Qualifier Oksana Selekhmeteva entered her first-round match against Marketa Vondrousova with that same attitude, posting a late second-set surge against the former world No. 6 Sunday afternoon, saving five match points along the way and threatening to push a third set.
But Vondrousova had the mental edge in the second-set tiebreak, denying the qualifier the upset and booking her spot in the second round of the 2025 US Open with a 6-3, 7-6(3), victory after one hour and 47 minutes.
The opening set saw both women trade five service breaks, allowing Vondrousova to take the 5-3 lead and serve for the set. An errant backhand slice from the 22-year-old gave Vondrousova the lead, 6-3.
By then, Vondrousova had settled into her rhythm and took control of the match, reeling off four consecutive games that included a 10-point streak to lead, 4-0.
When Selekhmeteva turned up the pressure with longer, more aggressive rallies, errors off the Czech’s racquet cut the lead to 4-2. But a double fault from Selekhmeteva on a critical break point allowed Vondrousova the chance to serve for the set at 5-2.
After holding two match points, Vondrousova double-faulted twice in a row to concede the break for 5-3. Selekhmeteva then erased five match points on her serve in a game that lasted 11 minutes before holding to stay in the match at 5-4.
Suddenly, everything was falling in Selekhmeteva’s favor. She took control of the rallies and opened up the court for winners to take her first lead of the match at 6-5 before the Czech held serve to force a tiebreak. After one hour and 47 minutes, Vondrousova claimed the tiebreak, 7-3, to secure the match.
WHAT IT MEANS: Vondrousova now moves into the second round to face American No. 32 seed McCartney Kessler. In their only career meeting, Vondrousova defeated Kessler in straight sets in the first round at Wimbledon this year.
A quarterfinalist here in Flushing in 2023, Vondrousova had a strong start to her summer swing this season, defeating Australian Open champion Madison Keys and world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka en route to the title in Berlin, her first since winning Wimbledon in 2023.
The current world No. 60 is looking to recapture the level of tennis that saw her sitting at a career high No. 6 just one year ago, before an injury sidelined her for the last half of the 2024 season.
MATCH POINT: Both women were plagued by double faults throughout the match, with each Selekhmeteva committing 13 and Vondrousova committing 12.
