WHAT HAPPENED: Tomas Machac was not able to win his second-round US Open match in a lickety split, but he did treat the crowd to a couple of acrobatic splits during an entertainment match on Wednesday.
Machac, the No. 21 seed, stopped the on-court momentum of João Fonseca—and the incessant cheers from Brazilian fans in the Grandstand in support of the latter—with a 7-6(4), 6-2, 6-3, in just under two hours during the second round of the 2025 US Open.
The match was much tighter than the straight-set scoreline would indicate, as Machac saved a set point at 4-5, 30-40, throwing in back-to-back aces to set up game point, which he soon converted to level the tense first set once more.
The first point of the tiebreak was the point of the match, a 21-shot rally in which Machac stretched out and did the splits twice on the baseline to keep the rally alive before his last shot clipped the net.
Machac was undaunted despite the charged atmosphere roaring on Fonseca after that point, as the Czech won the next three points and, at 6-4, put away a forehand volley at the net to clinch the opening frame.
That winner was just a small sliver of one of the difference-makers in the match, as Machac won 24 of 28 points at the net.
WHAT IT MEANS: Machac reached the Top 20 for the first time in his career after he won his first ATP Tour title—and first at the 500 level —in Acapulco, becoming No. 20 on the nose in the March 3 rankings. Another run to the Round of 16 at the US Open, like he pulled off last year, and he’s almost certain to hit a new career-high world ranking soon after he leaves the Big Apple.
MATCH POINT: Czech mate? To reach the US Open’s second week, Machac may end up having to go through a fellow Czech, No. 16 seed Jakub Mensik, who plays qualifier Ugo Blanchet with the winner taking on Machac. If that comes to pass, it will be the third Machac and Mensik have been scheduled to play this year, with the former winning a three-set match in Acapulco on his way to the title. During Mensik’s run to his Masters 1000 title in Miami, he received a walkover in the Round of 16 when Machac withdrew due to illness.
