Australian Tennis Stars Shine at US Open
On a steamy New York day that felt more like a Davis Cup dream sequence than a grand slam grind, Australian tennis ripped up the script at the US Open.
Five Aussies are into the second round after the opening two days, a collective charge worth at least $AU1.325 million in prizemoney – and threatening to grow.
Duckworth stuns Arnaldi
The headline shock belonged to James Duckworth.
Up against 30th seed Matteo Arnaldi, a French Open semi-finalist and the clear favourite on paper, Duckworth looked in early trouble. He dropped the opening set 7-5 and seemed headed for a familiar hard-luck story.
Then he caught fire.
The 32-year-old flipped the tempo, took the ball earlier, and began carving up the Italian with precise first-strike tennis. He levelled with a 6-3 second set, then surged through the third 6-2 as Arnaldi’s frustration boiled.
The match tightened again in the fourth, both men trading heavy blows until a tense tiebreak. Duckworth refused to blink. He completed the comeback 5-7 6-3 6-2 7-6 (10-8), a major boilover and another marker in a red-hot stretch of form.
For a player who has spent years battling injuries and setbacks, this was a statement win on one of the sport’s biggest stages.
Popyrin floors former No.3
If Duckworth’s upset set the tone, Alexei Popyrin’s win gave the day its edge.
Drawn against former World No.3 Grigor Dimitrov, a man with a grand slam semi-final pedigree and the kind of easy power that usually thrives on hard courts, Popyrin could easily have folded after dropping the first set 6-3.
He did the opposite.
The World No.130, who has endured a brutal run of injuries and form dips, found his range and his swagger. His serve grew heavier, his forehand started to bully, and Dimitrov’s control slipped away.
Popyrin rattled through the next three sets 6-3 6-2 6-2, turning what began as a tricky assignment into a commanding four-set triumph. For a player searching for momentum at the top level, this was a badly needed reminder that his game still belongs on grand slam courts.
Birrell’s sleepless night ends in breakthrough
Kim Birrell’s win came with its own kind of drama.
The World No.71 had already endured a rain delay and an overnight suspension before finally closing out Petra Marcinko. She had to save a match point along the way, dragging the contest back from the brink and her nerves with it.
Birrell dropped the first set 6-3, then clawed her way into a second-set tiebreak and held firm to take it 7-6 (7-4). With that escape act banked, she rolled through the decider 6-3 to claim her first-ever singles victory at the US Open.
It ended a jinx that had stretched across three straight first-round exits in New York – 2023, 2024 and 2025. This time, she stayed standing.
Off the court, the win carries extra weight. Birrell is set to marry her coach, Matt Fraser, at the end of the year, and she made no secret of what a guaranteed $AU265,000 cheque means.
"Oh my gosh, I don't think I'll be spending it here," she told AAP in New York. She talked about saving, about the wedding, about “maybe I'll buy some extra flowers,” and, with a wry reminder of real life, added: “And we've got a mortgage. Yeah, the mortgage.”
Joint’s revival gathers pace
Maya Joint kept the Australian roll going with a measured, mature win over higher-ranked Russian Liudmila Samsonova.
She started slowly, losing the opening set 6-3, but then settled into a rhythm that Samsonova couldn’t match. Joint tightened up her errors, stepped into returns, and began dictating from the baseline.
The shift was stark. Joint swept through the next two sets 6-2 6-2, a composed turnaround that underlined her growing confidence after a horror start to 2026. On a day when Australians kept finding ways to turn matches around, hers was one of the cleanest.
Preston leads the way
Taylah Preston had already done her part on Monday, winning her first-round match to quietly open the door for what became a full-blown surge.
With Preston, Duckworth, Popyrin, Birrell and Joint all through, five Australians are into the second round, each guaranteed at least $AU265,000. A third-round appearance would push those figures higher again.
Not everyone could ride the wave. Rinky Hijikata ran into third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime and bowed out in four sets, while Aleksandar Vukic lost a gruelling five-set marathon to Rei Sakamoto after their match was also postponed overnight.
Alcaraz and Sabalenka pass early tests
Beyond the Australian storylines, two of the tournament’s biggest names moved with authority.
Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz returned to grand slam action after a four-month absence with a wrist injury and looked immediately at home on Arthur Ashe Stadium. He handled Russia’s Roman Safiullin 6-4 6-4 6-4, a straight-sets win that doubled as a successful fitness test.
"It's been a really tough five months for me," Alcaraz said. Being back on Ashe, he added, at a tournament that has already defined key moments in his young career, felt like the perfect stage for a comeback.
Aryna Sabalenka, chasing a rare US Open three-peat, opened her campaign with a no-nonsense 6-2 6-4 win over Camila Osorio. She praised Osorio’s fight and spoke of staying “as aggressive as possible,” satisfied to have closed the match in straight sets against an opponent who forces you to earn every point.
As the second round looms, the favourites are moving smoothly, the defending champions are back in stride, and a pack of Australians has muscled its way into the conversation.
For Duckworth, Popyrin, Birrell, Joint and Preston, the next question is simple: can this remarkable day be the start of something bigger in New York?
