Bright British Starts in New York
Harriet Dart and Fran Jones both opened their US Open qualifying campaigns with victories on Tuesday in New York, keeping Britain's hopes alive of adding more names to the Flushing Meadows main draw.
Dart, who has appeared in the US Open main draw four times and twice reached the second round, faced American Jordyn Hazelitt in a match that twisted and turned. She dominated the opener 6-0 but then dropped the second set in a tiebreak 7-1, before regrouping to close out a 6-0, 6-7(1), 6-1 victory. Her next obstacle is another young American, 16-year-old Kristina Penickova.
Jones, who earned her first US Open main draw berth through qualifying last year, looked composed throughout against Italy's Nuria Brancaccio, winning 6-3, 6-4. She now faces Germany's Mona Barthel in round two.
Mixed Results for the Rest of the British Contingent
Not all news was positive for the British contingent. Jodie Burrage fell to Spain's Guiomar Maristany 7-6, 6-4, while in the men's draw, Henry Searle suffered a heavy 6-1, 6-2 defeat against 16-year-old American Michael Antonius. Searle's conqueror will face former US Open finalist Kei Nishikori in the next round, after the experienced Japanese player fought through in three sets.
Former semi-finalist Grigor Dimitrov also advanced in the men's section, dismissing Italy's Lorenzo Giustino 6-0, 6-3. In the women's qualifying draw, 2019 US Open champion Bianca Andreescu made easy work of her opener with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Eva Vedder.
Players need three qualifying wins to reach the main draw, which begins on Sunday. TennisDraw users tracking the British contenders will want to keep a close eye on Dart and Jones as they push for those final main draw spots.
