Tour Veterans Anderson, Paire Cruise In US Open Qualifying

Kevin Anderson made a winning start Tuesday in qualifying at the US Open, where the 37-year-old was a finalist in 2017.

Playing in just his fifth match of the season, Anderson fired 12 aces to cruise past Ukraine’s Oleksii Krutykh 6-3, 7-5 in one hour, 21 minutes. The South African, who is a seven-time tour-level titlist, will next face 19th seed Tomas Machac as he aims for his first major main-draw appearance since the 2022 Australian Open. 

Another tour veteran, Benoit Paire, also breezed through his first round qualifying match at Flushing Meadows. The 34-year-old downed Geoffrey Blancaneaux 6-2, 6-3. Paire's countryman Enzo Couacaud ousted top seed Jaume Munar 7-5, 6-3.

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Several #NextGenATP stars inched closer to their US Open main-draw debut, including Shang Juncheng, who defeated Genaro Alberto Olivieri 6-1, 6-4. Swiss Dominic Stricker rallied past Alexis Galarneau 3-6, 6-2, 6-0. Spaniard Pablo Llamas Ruiz overcame Andrea Collarini 6-3, 6-3 after winning 82 per cent of his first-serve points. 

American Brandon Holt, who upset Taylor Fritz in the opening round of last year’s US Open after advancing through qualifying, will hope to recreate more magic this fortnight in New York, where the 25-year-old defeated Alexander Ritschard 6-1, 6-4 on Tuesday.