Demon caught in weather chaos but Aussie charge gathers momentum
Updated . First published at
Alex de Minaur will have to wait another day to add his name to the list of Australians in the second round at the US Open after his match was cancelled due to rain on Wednesday (AEST).
De Minaur would have been hoping to follow in the winning footsteps of Australia’s Dane Sweeny and Tristan Schoolkate, when he was informed he would have to come back on Thursday (AEST) to play his first round match due to a wet weather delay.
Dane Sweeny is into the second round at the US Open for the first time. Getty Images
The Australian No.1 will now be forced to take to the court against qualifier Andrea Guerrieri on the same day that potential future opponents play their second round.
De Minaur is scheduled to take the court at 2.40am AEST on Thursday.
Sweeny and Schoolkate were lucky to avoid the rain in their matches, although both had other mental and physical challenges to deal with.
For Schoolkate, it was the physical challenge of battling through a first set tiebreak and then finding confidence to fight back from dropping the second set.
Memories of the last time he was “chopped up” by his opponent, Nishesh Basavareddy, then crept into his mind, but he rallied through to victory.
“It was a really good effort today,” he told Stan Sport after his 7-6(4), 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 win.
“It was nice to come out here and play a good match. I think I’ll put that down to the confidence I got out of qualifying. ”
Sweeny, meanwhile, overcame his own self-doubt off the back of a rocky run of results to put Corentin Moutet to the sword.
The 25-year-old got up in the first two sets and was on track to complete the match in straight sets when his opponent walked to the net and shook his hand.
Moutet did not appear to be in huge trouble fitness wise throughout the match, although he did have heavy strapping on his forearm when he arrived to play.
“I knew it would be physical. Unfortunately, his body couldn’t cope,” Sweeny told Stan Sport.
“All I could do was play the best tennis I could, and I think I found a good level.
“There were a lot of doubts in my game lately ... but the beauty of tennis is that can turn at any moment. I knew I was more than a chance to win today.
“I am really excited to get a win, especially in a big tournament.”
Tristan Schoolkate was the second Aussie through to the second round on Wednesday. Getty Images
Thanasi Kokkinakis was hopeful in the lead up to the first round that he would be able to push through an ankle concern and return to the grand slam arena, but the injury proved too much for him to face young Spanish prodigy Rafael Jodar.
Jodar was informed that his opponent had changed to be Yunchaokete Bu due to Kokkinakis’ withdrawal from the tournament just hours before the match.
Jodar will face the lucky loser on Thursday morning AEST.
Elsewhere, Paula Badosa was left fuming as the rain returned just as she was serving for the match against Australia’s Daria Kasatkina.
The former world No.2 was filthy when the umpire ordered the players off the court with the score at deuce, with Badosa just two points from victory after taking a commanding 6-1, 5-4 lead.
Badosa and Kasatkina were in action at the same time as Coco Gauff, who powered to a 6-3, 6-4 victory on a closed-roof court against Zeynep Sonmez of Türkiye.
Fellow top seeds Mirra Andreeva and Elena Rybakina also cruised through their first matches.
