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#NextGenATP Czech Jakub Mensik clinched a statement win on Tuesday at the US Open, where he upset World No. 19 Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-2, 6-4, 6-2 to record his third Top 20 win.

The 18-year-old earned a major breakthrough in New York last year when he reached the third round at Flushing Meadows on his Grand Slam debut. Twelve months on and at No. 65 in the PIF ATP Rankings, Mensik once again put on a show to dispatch Canadian Auger-Aliassime after two hours and four minutes and reach the second round.

Mensik won 89 per cent (40/45) of his first-serve points and fired 25 winners to level the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series at 1-1. He will next play Australian wild card Tristan Schoolkate or Japan’s Taro Daniel.

Mensik has enjoyed an impressive season, highlighted by his run to the final in Doha. The 18-year-old is fourth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah and aiming to make his debut at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF in December.

Auger-Aliassime reached the semi-finals at the US Open in 2021. The Canadian’s best result this season was a run to the title match at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Madrid.

Alexander Shevchenko forged a US Open breakthrough on Monday, when the 23-year-old downed Dominik Koepfer in straight sets for his first victory at the hard-court major. His reward? A showdown with home favourite and former semi-finalist Frances Tiafoe in New York.

An explosive baseliner who has risen as high as No. 45 in the PIF ATP Rankings, Shevchenko will be confident of springing an upset in Wednesday’s second-round clash. ATPTour.com caught up with the Kazakhstani for some quickfire questions on life off court and his career highlights so far.

If you could have dinner with any three people, who would they be and why?
First of all, Daniil Medvedev, because I’ve known him for a long time. We play a lot of games with each other, and we have a lot of good topics to speak about. Alexander Bublik, obviously my teammate for the national team and I get along very well with him. He is always joking around, so we would have a nice conversation. And Gael Monfils. He is my idol. I love the way he plays, love the way he acts, and he is just a great person.

Is there any particular match where you wish you could have been the guy who played it?
Nadal against Federer at Wimbledon 2008. I think this is the match. This is the best match in tennis history.

What's something cool you've done off the court because of being a tennis player?
I do a lot of stuff that I could do without being a tennis player, going to parties and stuff like that. But as a tennis player, I still didn't make it to this level where I can do things just because I'm a tennis player. I do a lot of stuff myself, just as a normal human being does.

Novak Djokovic was happy with his start at the US Open on Monday but is aware there is improvement to make. The defending champion was playing his first hard-court match since March in Indian Wells but looked comfortable in New York en route to a straight-sets win against Radu Albot.

“I think it was a solid start,” Djokovic said. "I struggled with my serve and the rhythm on certain shots. Overall from the back of the court I thought I played pretty well. It's always challenging to start, particularly when you haven't played on this surface for five, six months and coming off an Olympic gold and playing on clay. I haven't had any official matches before [the] US Open. So I'm expecting to be probably challenged a little bit more in the opening rounds.

“Hopefully I can play better each day. The good thing about Slams is you have a day between matches where you can train, where you can really work on things and perfect your game. That's what I need. That's what I feel like I need. So I'm going to hit the practice courts [on Tuesday] and work on things that haven't really worked during the match and keep striving to be better.”

The Serbian underwent knee surgery following Roland Garros in June but returned in time to reach the final of Wimbledon before he won Olympic gold in singles at the Paris Olympics. The 37-year-old, who is chasing a record-extending 25th major, confirmed he is feeling physically strong.

“The knee is fine really,” Djokovic said. “I haven't had any issues throughout the entire Olympic tournament and here first round.”

On 11 June, #NextGenATP American Learner Tien posted a series of photos on Instagram of himself competing with the caption, “all in due time”. The last slide of the post was a graphic of two men in a dirt tunnel with a pickaxe. One had turned around dejected due to the seemingly never-ending tunnel. The other was further behind, but eagerly swinging away. Unbeknownst to them, there were diamonds on the other side of the dirt in their way.

“If you work away, inevitably you'll break through. I think that’s was what I was thinking,” Tien told ATPTour.com. “Obviously, with the setback of the injury and coming back and just kind of plugging away in the Futures, I felt like just building on match after match, inevitably I'd be back just because I felt like I’d lost some time.”

The two-time USTA Boys’ 18s National Champion entered the season with high hopes, but only managed to play three tournaments before missing more than three months due to a seventh-rib fracture.

“I believe it was just an overuse thing. It wasn't any blunt force or anything like that. It could have been something on my serve, and I was just kind of irritating the spot,” Tien said. “I felt it more like a knot in my back before my rib started hurting, my lat and rib area. So I think just a lot of tension over time just caused it to break down.”

The injury was in an awkward spot for the 18-year-old, who was unable to do much of anything and limited the impact on his body.

Like slipping into a comfortable bath, Novak Djokovic eased into his title defence at the US Open Monday night, albeit with a few wrinkles to iron out in the coming rounds.

Returning to hard courts for the first time since Indian Wells in March and playing his first tournament since winning Olympic gold on clay in Paris three weeks ago, Djokovic didn’t bring his cleanest game to Arthur Ashe Stadium. The four-time champion threw in 10 double faults, put just 47 per cent of first serves into play and made 40 unforced errors.

But despite the stains on the stats sheet, Djokovic was always in full control of his first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting with Albot, closing out the 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 win in two hours and seven minutes, sending fans on their way just before midnight.

Joking before the match that he was seeking revenge on Albot, who has wins over his brothers Marko and Djordje, Djokovic captured a record 78th win by a male inside Ashe.

"I wanted to kick start the tournament in the right way and I think I did," Djokovic said on ESPN. "Some ups and downs which I think is normal, getting the rust off your shoulders coming off a different surface and the Olympic Games.

Less complaining, more winning. That has been the motto lately for #NextGenATP star Shang Juncheng and it has proven plenty successful.

The Chinese 19-year-old ticked off his latest first on Monday when he earned his maiden US Open win against 27th seed Alexander Bublik 6-4, 3-6, 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 in three hours and 34 minutes. Shang has now reached the second round of every major main draw (also the Australian Open and Wimbledon) he has played this season.

“Very happy and tired. Very tired. Interesting match against Alex. He has everything, he throws anything at you, some second-serve bombs, also drop shots, underarm serves, anything,” Shang said. “You really have to focus the whole match, and I'm glad I did all the way ‘til the end. It was just a good win, and hopefully I can continue.”

It has been the best season of Shang’s young career. The teen is currently third in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah, putting him in good position to qualify for the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF for the first time.

Results that stand out include his first two ATP Tour semi-finals in Hong Kong and Atlanta, a trip to the third round of the Australian Open and a quarter-final in Eastbourne. Entering 2024 he had not reached a tour-level quarter-final.

He may not be a home favourite nor a former champion, but Diego Schwartzman’s connection with the New York crowd has always run deep.

The former No. 8 in the PIF ATP Rankings completed the final match of his US Open career on Monday afternoon, when he fell to Gael Monfils in four sets on Grandstand. Just a few hours after another former Top 10 star in the PIF ATP Rankings, Dominic Thiem, also completed his final New York match in emotional circumstances, it was fan favourite Schwartzman’s turn to step up to the mic.

“It’s difficult to speak. I am a guy who cries a lot. Sorry,” said a tearful Schwartzman in a post-match interview as the crowd cheered him on. “I’m not supposed to cry now, I have to be strong.”

We're not crying, you're crying ?

❤️ @dieschwartzman @usopen | #USOpen pic.twitter.com/kNxajGLFvM

The two-time US Open quarter-finalist Schwartzman had already summoned one final hurrah in New York by coming through qualifying last week to secure his 11th consecutive main-draw appearance. Monfils proved too strong in Monday’s first-round clash, however, ultimately prevailing 6-7(2), 6-2, 6-2, 6-1. Even in defeat, Schwartzman was happy to add some more cherished New York memories before bringing his career to a close.

Andy Murray has been immortalised at his original tennis club, with a 20-foot mural now adorning a once-barren wall at the Dunblane Sports Club in Scotland.

Dubbed the ‘People’s Tribute to Andy Murray’, the work shows the Scot’s trademark roaring celebration with the words: ‘Sir Andy. Warrior. Legend.’

The mural is an initiative developed by Tennis Channel, which has also produced a companion short film, and executed by Sift Creative and their global production team.

Distributed by Tennis Channel, the short film, The People’s Tribute – Sir Andy Murray, features inspirational tributes from fans and people close to Andy, capturing the former World No. 1’s impact on them, the sport and the country. It also features a timelapse of the creation of the mural.

The world’s top-ranked tennis players will arrive in December for the blockbuster United Cup, the innovative mixed team tennis event staged in Perth and Sydney.

From Friday 27 December to Sunday 5 January 2025, the world’s best men and women will compete side-by-side.

Eighteen countries featuring up to three men and up to three women will compete for a minimum US$10 million in prize money and 500 PIF ATP and WTA rankings points.

Perth will open the United Cup on Friday 27 December at RAC Arena, while the group stage in Sydney will begin on Saturday 28 December at Ken Rosewall Arena.

Group winners in each city will advance to the quarterfinals with one quarterfinal spot in each city awarded to the best runner up in that city.

Five years ago, then 17-year-old Eliot Spizzirri stepped inside Arthur Ashe Stadium for an extended training session with five-time US Open champion Roger Federer. It was an unforgettable experience for Spizzirri and his longtime coach, Patrick Hirscht, both of whom looked up to the Swiss legend.

“That was definitely a highlight of both Eliot’s life and mine,” Hirscht said. “He was my favourite player, I think he's Eliot's favourite player, someone we both idolised and emulated. A lot in Eliot's game we kind of copied off Federer. How we wanted Eliot to carry himself on court, and how we wanted him to act and talk and be like.”  

Just weeks later, Spizzirri and Tyler Zink won the boys’ doubles event in New York. Five years later, Spizzirri will compete in the main draw of the men’s singles event for the first time when he faces #NextGenATP standout Alex Michelsen.

“I got to hit with Fed on Ashe, and so that was like, ‘Wow, okay, this is insane’. And to now be playing in the tournament, and now, actually in the main draw, you can't explain the feeling,” Spizzirri said. “Seven, eight, 12-year-old me is going crazy right now. Of course, yeah, I’m going crazy, but it takes time to soak in a little bit.”  

The good news for Spizzirri is that not only is he on the verge of playing the biggest match of his life to date in the first round of the season’s final major, the 22-year-old is doing it at home. No other player in the draw is as familiar with the grounds of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center as Spizzirri.

At peace with his impending retirement and the end of his US Open career, Dominic Thiem was happy to sign off in New York with a final appearance on Arthur Ashe Stadium on Monday afternoon.

“Everything was a bit different,” said Thiem in his post-match press conference after his straight-sets defeat to Ben Shelton. “I tried to enjoy, I tried to really soak up every moment in this stadium. It was really nice. I think I was able to focus on the match, but of course I don’t have that level anymore that is required to really go head-to-head with players like Ben.

“This I also knew before, so of course I tried to enjoy as much as possible, but still, I was focusing on the match pretty good.”

New York will forever love Domi ❤️

2020 champion @domithiem bids an emotional farewell to the US Open ?@usopen | #USOpenpic.twitter.com/Zfx5KJlx5s

Thiem will end his career later this year as the owner of a 23-9 record at the US Open. That tally includes the highlight of the Austrian’s career: his run to his only Grand Slam trophy at the 2020 edition of the hard-court major.

Casper Ruud is set to partner William Blumberg in the men’s doubles at the US Open, with the pair facing the Italian fifth seeds Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori in the opening round.

Ruud and Blumberg are set to compete in their fourth Grand Slam as a pair. The duo lost to Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury 7-5, 6-4 in the first round at Wimbledon earlier this year. The Norwegian Ruud's best doubles result at Flushing Meadows came in 2019, when he partnered Miomir Kecmanovic to reach the third round.

Bolelli and Vavassori are currently third in the PIF ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings as they vie to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals. They have won two ATP Tour titles this year in Buenos Aires and Halle.

#NextGenATP star Arthur Fils and Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard will face fourth seeds Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic in the opening round. The French duo will make their second Grand Slam appearance after their first-round exit at 2023 Roland Garros as a wild card pairing.

Arevalo and Pavic enter the tournament having recently won the Cincinnati Open, defeating home favourites Mackenzie McDonald and Alex Michelsen 6-2, 6-4 in the final.

Can Alexander Zverev cap a strong year of Grand Slam performances with his maiden major title at the US Open?

The fourth seed made a solid start to his campaign on Monday in New York with a 6-2, 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-2 triumph against Maximilian Marterer. Zverev sent down 21 aces and converted six of 16 break points he earned to wrap a two-hour, 53-minute victory on Grandstand and set a second-round clash with Adam Walton or Alexandre Muller.

aaaaannnd breathe ?

No. 4 seed @AlexZverev digs deep to defeat his compatriot Marterer in four sets.@usopen | #USOpen pic.twitter.com/sviS6K3ogY

With victory against his fellow German Marterer, Zverev improved to 15-3 at the majors this year. The 27-year-old reached the semi-finals at the Australian Open, the championship match at Roland Garros, and the fourth round at Wimbledon, and his past history at the US Open suggests he is more than capable of forging a deep run this fortnight. Zverev reached his first Grand Slam final at the 2020 edition of the hard-court major before falling to Dominic Thiem.

Zverev is also competing in New York knowing that he can further boost his strong position in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin. The 22-time ATP Tour champion is currently third behind Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz in his bid to secure a spot at the season-ending Nitto ATP Finals.

Ben Shelton is up and running at this year’s US Open. A semi-finalist in New York 12 months ago, the American overcame former champion Dominic Thiem - who was competing in his final US Open match - 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 to reach the second round.

Shelton lit up New York last year when he became the youngest American man to reach the semis at the hard-court major since Michael Chang in 1992. The 21-year-old American looked comfortable on his return to Flushing Meadows on Monday when he dictated throughout against Thiem on Arthur Ashe Stadium to improve to 2-1 in the pair’s ATP Head2Head series.

Wild card Thiem was competing at the US Open for the final time. The 30-year-old Austrian, who is set to retire later this year, held a 23-9 record at the fourth major of the season, highlighted by the run to his maiden Grand Slam trophy in 2020. Four years ago, Thiem rallied from two sets down to defeat Alexander Zverev and capture the biggest title of his career.

On Monday, the former World No. 3 soaked in a standing ovation from the crowd following his defeat to Shelton, while he also received a photo collage on court.

"It has been 10 years since I first played here. It is actually a really important moment for me, because I had my greatest success here on this court," Thiem said on court. "In that weird 2020, in strange and different circumstances. I had this success unfortunately without any of you [the fans] here. It was an amazing moment but on the other hand a bit sad, so I am super happy I got the chance to play my last US Open match on this court."

Improper footwork is one of the most common mistakes in tennis and can greatly affect your performance. Here's a deeper look at the issue and tips to correct it: The Problem:Standing Still or Flat-Footed: Players often get stuck in one spot, leading to late reactions and weak shots.Poor Movement to the Ball: Not positioning yourself correctly can r...

Americans Alex Michelsen and Learner Tien have boosted their respective chances of qualifying for the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF after they impressed on home soil in Winston-Salem.

Michelsen consolidated second spot in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah after he reached his second ATP Tour final of the season at the hard-court event. The 20-year-old produced a series of aggressive displays at the ATP 250 event before he lost to Italian Lorenzo Sonego in the title match.

Michelsen, who is also at a career-high No. 49 in the PIF ATP Rankings, is aiming to making his second appearance in Jeddah after competing last year. He will now head to New York to play at the US Open, starting against Eliot Spizzirri.

PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah

Tien also enjoyed a memorable week in Winston-Salem, where he advanced through qualifying to reach the quarter-finals. The 18-year-old, who has received a wild card for the US Open, had never competed in an ATP Tour main draw before arriving in North Carolina.

The North American hard-court season continued apace last week at the Winston-Salem Open, where Lorenzo Sonego overcame #NextGenATP Alex Michelsen in the final to seal his fourth ATP Tour crown.

ATPTour.com looks at the movers in the PIF ATP Rankings as of Monday, 26 August.

No. 49 Alex Michelsen, +3 (Career High)
One day shy of his 20th birthday, Michelsen stepped on court for his third ATP Tour final at the Winston-Salem Open. Although the home favourite was comfortably defeated by Sonego at the ATP 250, he can look back on another positive step in his career ahead of the US Open. Michelsen has risen three spots to a career-high No. 49 in the PIF ATP Rankings.

No. 48 Lorenzo Sonego, +10
Lorenzo Sonego became just the 11th active ATP Tour player to win tour-level titles on outdoor hard, indoor hard, clay and grass with a dominant series of displays in Winston-Salem. The Italian, who had not won consecutive matches on hard courts this year prior to arriving in North Carolina, did not drop a set all week en route to clinching his first title for almost two years.

No. 72 Shang Juncheng, +5 (Career High)
Chinese star Shang notched his 20th tour-level win of the year against Francisco Comesana in the first round in Winston-Salem, and that victory was enough to propel him five spots to a career-high World No. 72. The 19-year-old Shang has also consolidated third place in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah: He remains 25 points clear of fourth-placed Jakub Mensik as he bids to qualify for the season-ending Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF.

Li Tu was playing Jesper de Jong Thursday in the final round of US Open qualifying on Court 6, which sits in the shadow of Arthur Ashe Stadium, the biggest tennis-only stadium on the planet. The Australian battled with the Dutchman deep into the third set of their match and even faced two match points on serve at 4-5. His dream of qualifying for a major for the first time nearly slipped away.

During the decider, the 28-year-old thought about his mother, Yu Ping Zheng, who passed away nearly two years ago after a courageous battle with lung cancer.

“I was a little bit nervous in the third set and I remember looking up at the change of ends, seeing her face, and just saying, ‘We've got this, we've got this, we've got this’,” Tu told ATPTour.com. “She's still with me. I truly believe that, and I just want to make my parents proud. I know no matter what I do, they would be. But I just want to make them proud.”

Tu rallied to win the match and earn his place in the main draw at the season’s final major. It was a memorable moment for a player who left the sport altogether for six years and has had to deal with the tragedy of losing a loved one since his return. He will play four-time Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz in the first round.

“Honestly, I already almost started tearing up, 30-love that last game, because I was like, ‘Oh, wow, is this going to happen?’” Tu said. “I got a wild card into the 2021 [Australian Open], but how that all happened, it was pretty weird. This one, I earned it. I did it, I qualified. Playing a major is stuff that people dream about, that I dreamed as a kid as well. And to really do it, do it properly, it’s just truly amazing.”

ATPTour.com looks at five ATP Challenger Tour players to keep your eyes on during the US Open.

Learner Tien
The 18-year-old arrives at Flushing Meadows fresh off a dream ATP Tour debut week, reaching the Winston-Salem quarter-finals as a qualifier. Eighth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah, Tien survived a marathon tournament at last month’s Bloomfield Hills Challenger, where he needed a deciding set in all five of his matches to lift the trophy.

Tien became the 10th-youngest American Challenger champion, joining the likes of Andy Roddick, Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe, whom the teen lost to in the first round of the US Open last year. The lefty will look to rely on his ultra-consistent baseline play to challenge the world’s best in his third consecutive US Open appearance. In the first round, Tien faces fellow #NextGenATP star and 24th seed Arthur Fils.

Mattia Bellucci
It has been a red-hot past month for the Italian inching closer to his Top 100 debut, currently World No. 101 in the PIF ATP Rankings. Bellucci made his first tour-level quarter-final in Atlanta and followed that run by qualifying for Washington and reaching the second round. The 23-year-old held two championship points at the ATP Challenger Tour 100 event in Cary, North Carolina, but fell to Roman Safiullin after nearly three hours.

After qualifying for a third consecutive major main-draw appearance, the lefty starts against 2016 champion Stan Wawrinka.

The stars of the ATP Tour are ready for the final Grand Slam tournament of the season at the US Open, where a huge haul of PIF ATP Rankings points is up for grabs.

Novak Djokovic is the defending champion, Carlos Alcaraz has won the past two majors and Jannik Sinner is World No. 1. ATPTour.com looks at three players who might be good selections for fans in the PIF ATP Rankings Predictor.

Make Your Picks Now!

Jannik Sinner - defending 180 points
The top seed faces a tough draw, with former World No. 1s Daniil Medvedev and Alcaraz potential quarter-final and semi-final opponents, respectively. But the Italian has proven consistent at the majors recently.

Since Wimbledon last year, he has won 24 of his 28 matches at the majors. His defeats have only come against players who have reached at least World No. 2. One year ago, he fell in the fourth round at Flushing Meadows to Alexander Zverev, who he defeated last week in Cincinnati.