Alex de Minaur cast aside friendship to lead three more Australians into the US Open second round in New York. As Alexei Popyrin set up a showcourt showdown with defending champion and world No 1 Jannik Sinner, De Minaur was all class in defeating fellow Sydneysider Chris O’Connell in straight sets.
The two-time Open quarter-finalist did not face a solitary break point in ousting O’Connell 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 on the Grandstand on Tuesday (Wednesday AEST). De Minaur’s reward is a second-round meeting with Japan’s world No 112 Shintaro Mochizuki.
Popyrin earlier needed just over two hours to see off Finland’s Emil Ruusuvuori 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (7-3) and set up a heavyweight stoush with the top-seeded Sinner. After taking out the great Novak Djokovic en route to the last-16 last year, Popyrin now must fashion another boilover and conquer the world No 1 to stay alive at the final grand slam of 2025.
Sinner was typically merciless in opening his quest for a fifth career major, needing just 98 minutes to dispatch Czech world No 89 Vit Kopriva 6-1, 6-1, 6-2.
Popyrin’s fellow Australian Maya Joint continued her extraordinary 2025 success story, with the fearless teenager successfully negotiating her opening clash.
Having lost her previous three first-round matches at this year’s grand slams – the only negatives in a brilliant two-title season for the 19-year-old Queensland-based player – Joint was delighted to get past Andorran qualifier Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva 6-4, 7-6 (8-6).
The US-born world No 43, who made her first big mark here last year when she reached the second round, has rocketed up the rankings since she started the 2024 campaign at No 684, with her experienced BJK Cup teammate Ajla Tomljanovic saying there’s no ceiling to what she might achieve.
On Tuesday, she again demonstrated her fine temperament as world No 130 Kasintseva, another fine young talent at the age of just 20, put on the pressure in a 66-minute second set, twice earning set points at 5-3 and then again in the tiebreak at 6-5.
after newsletter promotion
But Joint reeled off the last three points to seal the victory and set up a second-round clash with Wimbledon finalist and American No 8 seed Amanda Anisimova, who eliminated another Australian Kim Birrell 6-3, 6-2 on Louis Armstrong Stadium.
“It’s not easy playing in the first round of a grand slam, I never played against her so it was tricky,” Anisimova said. “It’s been a special year, I’m just enjoying the journey. I try to have fun every day, but these are the moments I enjoy the most.”
Joint will seek to upset Anisimova and reach the third round of a slam for the first time in her fledgling career, another high point in a season when she’s won her first tournaments, on clay at the Morocco Open and on grass at Eastbourne.
