Dane Sweeny Shocks Lorenzo Musetti at US Open
Dane Sweeny, all 5ft 5in of him, walked onto court at Flushing Meadows as a wildcard and walked off as the story of the day.
The diminutive Australian produced the match of his life to dismantle 14th seed Lorenzo Musetti 3-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 in the US Open second round, a genuine David-versus-Goliath shock that rattled the men’s draw and announced a late-blooming contender.
This wasn’t a smash-and-grab. It was a systematic takedown.
After dropping the opening set, Sweeny flipped the script. He started to boss Musetti from the baseline, dragged him into uncomfortable corners and turned long rallies into personal territory. The Italian, a dual grand slam semi-finalist and world No 14, suddenly looked short of answers and, more tellingly, short of air.
Sweeny, ranked more than 100 places below his opponent, ran him ragged. By the time he surged to a double-break lead at 3-0 in the third set, Musetti was in visible distress, calling for a medical time-out as the match began to slip away in the New York heat. Even after clawing one break back, the 14th seed kept gesturing angrily towards his box, the frustration of a favourite unravelling in real time.
On the other side of the net, Sweeny refused to shrink. The 25-year-old, who had come into the tournament with a heavily iced right elbow after his opening-round win, threw himself around the court, diving at the net like a throwback Boris Becker, punching away acrobatic volleys and riding the crowd’s energy.
The scoreline tightened only briefly. The momentum never really did.
From 6-1 in the second set, Sweeny had Musetti on a leash, ripping through the next two sets 6-2, 6-2 to reach the third round of a grand slam for the first time. The reward: a guaranteed $US290,000 payday, a projected rankings jump to at least No 115 in the world, and a last-32 showdown with another Italian, world No 22 Luciano Darderi, on Saturday.
“I’m just grateful to be even able to compete in grand slams. The tennis journey is such a rollercoaster,” Sweeny said, soaking in the moment. “And to soak up the atmosphere and get a win, a couple of wins, in front of this crowd, is awesome.”
On a scorching New York day, Australia flirted with a trio of feel-good stories. For a while, it looked like Sweeny might not be celebrating alone.
Tristan Schoolkate, who had fought his way through qualifying, came out swinging against French Open runner-up Flavio Cobolli and snatched the first set 6-3. The fifth seed steadied, though, and gradually imposed his higher ranking and clay-court pedigree on the hard court, turning the contest around to win 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-5 after two hours and 41 minutes in punishing conditions.
Schoolkate left with credit and blisters, his inspired run finally halted but his game clearly belonging at this level.
Alexei Popyrin also threatened another US Open statement. Two years after stunning Novak Djokovic in the third round, he again flew out of the blocks, blasting through the first set 6-2 against Alejandro Tabilo. The Chilean, seeded 25th, held his nerve when it mattered most.
The pressure told in the tiebreaks. Tabilo edged the second set 7-6 (7-4), then repeated the trick in the third, 7-6 (7-3), each breaker swinging the match further in his favour. By the fourth set, Popyrin’s grip had loosened and Tabilo closed it out 6-2 to book what is likely to be a third-round meeting with top seed Alexander Zverev.
Two Australians out, one very much alive.
Sweeny now carries the flag for the underdogs, while Alex de Minaur, the sixth seed, was scheduled to face Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp on The Grandstand later in the day.
On a tournament packed with big names and bigger reputations, it was the smallest man on court who made the biggest noise. The question now is simple: how far can he ride this wave?
