Australian Players Shine at US Open as Duckworth and Popyrin Upset Seeds
On a humid New York day that felt more like the second week than the first, Australian tennis punched far above its weight. Five players, one nation, and a combined $1.325 million already banked. The numbers tell one story. The upsets tell another.
Duckworth stuns Arnaldi
James Duckworth has spent much of his career in the shadows, a battler more familiar with qualifying draws and treatment rooms than show courts. On Tuesday, he walked into the spotlight.
Up against 30th seed Matteo Arnaldi, a French Open semi-finalist and one of the form players of the season, Duckworth looked in danger of being brushed aside when he dropped the opening set. Instead, he dug in.
The Australian flipped the script with a 5-7 6-3 6-2 7-6 (10-8) victory, a comeback built on resilience and a red-hot run of form that has quietly been gathering momentum. Once he levelled at a set apiece, his confidence surged. He began taking the ball earlier, stepping into returns, turning defence into sudden attack.
Arnaldi, rattled, started to leak errors. Duckworth seized on them, racing through the third set and holding his nerve in a tense fourth-set tiebreak, edging it 10-8 to complete one of the early shocks of the tournament.
Popyrin floors former No.3
If Duckworth’s win was a boilover, Alexei Popyrin’s was a statement.
Facing Grigor Dimitrov – former World No.3, a grand slam semi-finalist, and one of the most polished players on tour – Popyrin could easily have folded after dropping the first set. His ranking of 130 and a wretched stretch of injuries and poor results hardly screamed upset threat.
He chose not to listen to that script.
From 3-6 down, Popyrin roared back to take control, belting his way to a 3-6 6-3 6-2 6-2 victory. His serve began to bite, his forehand started to bully, and Dimitrov’s rhythm evaporated under the sustained pressure.
Once Popyrin levelled the match, he never really looked back. The Australian dominated the baseline exchanges, broke serve repeatedly, and turned what began as a dangerous assignment into a commanding four-set win. For a player who has been stuck on the fringes, this was a much-needed return to the grand slam winner’s circle.
Birrell’s long night, and longer wait, pays off
Kim Birrell’s breakthrough came the hard way.
Her match against Petra Marcinko stretched across two days, interrupted by rain and shadowed by the knowledge that she had never won a main-draw singles match at the US Open. Three attempts, three first-round exits in 2023, 2024 and 2025.
This time, she refused to join that list again.
Birrell trailed and toiled, but survived a match point and the tension of an overnight suspension to claw out a 3-6 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 win. The second set tiebreak changed everything. Once she forced a decider, her body language shifted, her shots loosened, and Marcinko’s grip on the match slipped.
The Australian, ranked 71 in the world, finally walked off with the victory she had been chasing in New York for years. It wasn’t just a first US Open win; it was a weight off her shoulders.
Off the court, there is another life milestone looming. Birrell is set to marry her coach, Matt Fraser, at the end of the year, and the guaranteed $AU265,000 cheque for reaching the second round will have a very real impact.
"Oh my gosh, I don't think I'll be spending it here," she said in New York. "I'll definitely save some of it. We're getting married at the end of the year so that helps a lot and maybe I'll buy some extra flowers. And we've got a mortgage. Yeah, the mortgage."
Wimbledon dreams are one thing. Paying off the house is another.
Joint continues her revival
Maya Joint added another layer to Australia’s remarkable day.
The 19-year-old took down higher-ranked Liudmila Samsonova 3-6 6-2 6-2, a result that would have seemed unlikely earlier this year when her 2026 season began in a tailspin. Here, she rallied with poise and conviction.
After losing the first set, Joint adjusted. She sharpened her returns, extended rallies, and dragged Samsonova into uncomfortable territory. The Russian’s power began to misfire; Joint’s belief only grew.
Once she wrested control in the second set, the match flowed almost entirely on her terms. Two 6-2 sets later, Joint walked away with one of the biggest wins of her young career and a clear sign that her season is back on track.
Preston sets the tone
Before the Tuesday heroics, Taylah Preston had already quietly done her part.
Her first-round win on Monday opened the door to what would become a banner start for Australian tennis in New York. With Preston, Duckworth, Popyrin, Birrell and Joint all through, five Australians have reached the second round after just two days of play.
Each of them is guaranteed at least $AU265,000 for their efforts. A third-round berth would only swell that figure, but for now, the collective impact stands out: a nation often overshadowed outside Melbourne has carved out a serious presence at the US Open.
Mixed fortunes for Hijikata and Vukic
Not every Australian story ended in celebration.
Rinky Hijikata ran into the full force of third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime and bowed out in four sets. He pushed, he probed, but the Canadian’s class told over the distance.
Aleksandar Vukic endured a marathon of his own, stretching his clash with Rei Sakamoto to five sets across two days after rain forced a postponement. When play resumed, the margin for error disappeared. Vukic fell just short, another victim of the fine lines that define grand slam tennis.
Alcaraz returns, Sabalenka marches on
Beyond the Australian surge, two familiar names underlined their championship credentials.
Carlos Alcaraz, the defending champion, returned to Arthur Ashe Stadium after four months out with a wrist injury and looked as if he had never left. He dispatched Roman Safiullin 6-4 6-4 6-4, his first serious test of the wrist passed with authority.
"It's been a really tough five months for me," Alcaraz said. "Being able to step on the Arthur Ashe, being able to compete again, I couldn't decide to come back in a better tournament. It's a really special place for me."
On the women’s side, Aryna Sabalenka began her bid for a rare US Open three-peat with a businesslike 6-2 6-4 win over Camila Osorio. The scoreline looked routine; the contest was not.
"She brought the fight," Sabalenka said. "She battled really well and I just tried to stay as aggressive as possible.
"I think I played great. She's a tough opponent, makes you work really hard to get every point, so I'm happy that I was able to close the match in straight sets."
Alcaraz is back. Sabalenka is on the hunt again. And in their slipstream, a band of Australians has turned the opening days in New York into an unexpected green-and-gold showcase.
The question now is simple: can any of them turn a stunning start into a deep, era-defining run?
