The home crowd had much to cheer about on Wednesday at US Open qualifying, with American hopefuls Jared Donaldson, Reilly Opelka, Noah Rubin and Christian Harrison leading the second round charge.

Coming off a strong result at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event in Cincinnati, reaching the second round and taking a set off World No. 3 Stan Wawrinka, Donaldson fought past Eduardo Struvay 6-3, 6-3. The Rhode Island native is seeking to qualify at the US Open for the first time, having received a wild card in each of the past two years.

“He didn’t play with a lot of rhythm, serving and volleying a lot,” reflected Donaldson, who awaits Spain’s Jordi Samper-Montana next. “It was a little difficult to find my rhythm, but I stayed mentally tough and played the big points well. I think that was the difference. I was controlling the match. I can play with these guys and beat them, so playing some qualies matches isn’t a bad thing.”

Fellow American #NextGen star Noah Rubin raced to a 3-0 lead before opponent Yan Bai retired with a right wrist sprain, while 18-year-old Reilly Opelka rallied from a set down to upset former World No. 35 Eduoard Roger-Vasselin 3-6, 6-4, 6-3. The big-serving American, who is fresh off a breakout semi-final run at the BB&T Atlanta Open, fired 14 aces and converted three of four break chances to prevail after one hour and 58 minutes.

Meanwhile, it was a successful return to the tour-level stage for Christian Harrison, who earned his first Grand Slam qualifying victory. Harrison saved two match points in upending Aussie Luke Saville 4-6, 6-0, 7-5. It was an emotional win for the 22 year old, who has been snake bitten by a slew of injuries, including hip and shoulder, over the past few years.

Other Americans registering victories on Day Two were University of Virginia standout Ryan Shane, who rallied past Kimmer Coppejans 2-6, 6-4, 6-1, and Sekou Bangoura, turning in a 6-2, 6-1 rout of Gonzalo Lama in 58 minutes. Teenagers Stefan Kozlov and Tommy Paul weren’t as fortunate, however, suffering defeats to veterans Michael Berrer and Steve Darcis, respectively.

“It’s a win and I’ll take it when you’re out for six or seven months,” said Darcis. “It’s a good feeling to come back here and to play well. I don’t think Tommy played a great match, but I was mixing it up a lot and he didn’t like it very much. I know Tommy and he’s a good player, but he’s still has time.”

Inching closer to a Top 100 return, former World No. 44 Darcis is coming off a title at the ATP Challenger Tour event in Trnava and will face Korean teen Duckhee Lee on Thursday.

In other action, #NextGen star Karen Khachanov, seeded third, fired eight aces and converted three of six break chances to advance past Mirza Basic 6-4, 6-4 in 69 minutes. Bidding to reach his first Grand Slam main draw, the Russian will face Adrian Menendez-Maceiras next, with a potential all-NextGen clash against Rubin looming large in the final round.

Fellow Russian rising talent Andrey Rublev, 18, was upset by Serbia’s Miljan Zekic 6-7(4), 7-6(5), 6-4 in a marathon two-hour and 32-minute battle. The 28-year-old Zekic saved five of six break points faced for his first Grand Slam qualifying victory. Last month, the Belgrade native streaked to his first ATP Challenger Tour title in Todi, Italy, as a qualifier.

“It was really tough, but I was serving well, so I knew I could come back,” said Zekic. “It was just a couple points that I won that made the difference. Andrey is very good on the hard courts and I’m more of a clay-court player, so it was difficult to play against him. I felt much more pressure, because I’m older, but I’m happy to get the win.”

Former Top 50 players Radek Stepanek, Santiago Giraldo, Mischa Zverev and Go Soeda also notched wins to open their qualifying campaigns.

Richard Gasquet breezed into the quarter-finals of the Winston-Salem Open with a 6-1, 6-3 win over fellow Frenchman Stephane Robert. Gasquet saved seven break points (7/8) and broke his opponent’s serve five times in the 66-minute win.

“I’ve known Stephane for a long time now, so I know how dangerous he can be. It was a great win for me and I’m happy to be in the quarter-finals,” said Gasquet, who has yet to drop a set against his 36-year-old countryman in two FedEx ATP Head2Head meetings. “He likes to play close to the baseline. We’ve practised together often so I know his game and he knows mine. I didn’t make many mistakes today and that was the difference. It was quite humid and hot on the court, so it’s better to be able to finish in one hour.”

“It’s a great opportunity to play against top players, because you see the difference. I will learn from this match,” Robert said. “I started the match nervously, but I was playing better in the second set. Then I made some mistakes and got negative. That is something I need to manage. At this level, you have to be focused all the time and not fight against yourself.”

Next up for the top seed will be Aussie John Millman, who rallied to win 5-7, 6-0, 6-3 against wild card Bjorn Fratangelo. Millman closed out the match with authority, landing 85 per cent of first serves and only losing one point on serve in the deciding set.

“I’ve never played against [John], but I’ve seen his matches and I respect him a lot.” Gasquet said.

Yen-Hsun Lu advanced to the quarter-finals with a 6-4, 6-0 performance against Diego Schwartzman. Lu fired nine aces and did not face a break point in the 62-minute win.

“Fortunately I played really well on game points and on break points. My serve was there when I needed it and that helped me a lot today,” said Lu, who is into his fourth consecutive Winston-Salem quarter-final. “I always seem to play very relaxed, very freely here. Maybe it’s something that is missing for me in other tournaments, but I’m able to find that feeling here.”

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Winston-Salem Open – Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Top seed Richard Gasquet was on hand for the draw ceremony at the Wake Forest University campus.

Steve Johnson, the No. 1 American in the Emirates ATP Rankings, met PGA Tour golfer Rickie Fowler at the nearby Wyndham Greensboro Open.

John Millman and NextGen’s Frances Tiafoe took part in the fun activities on Kids’ Day.

Mackenzie McDonald, NCAA champion from UCLA and US Open wild card, attended the USTA Member Appreciation Day.

NextGen American Taylor Fritz met fans at the VIP Friends Reception, while Eric Butorac and Bjorn Fratangelo attended the USPTA Reception.

Butorac and partner Scott Lipsky tried something they had never done in their careers – wheelchair tennis. Read More

Roberto Bautista Agut, Yen-Hsun Lu, Paul-Henri Mathieu, Sam Querrey, Rajeev Ram Albert Ramos-Vinolas and Jiri Vesely attended autograph signings.

The European Open, an ATP World Tour 250 event set in Antwerp, Belgium, will be promoting a Guiness World Record attempt for a good cause. Maxime Braeckman, former coach of ATP World Tour player Xavier Malisse and WTA players Kim Clijsters and Kirsten Flipkens, will play 37 matches in a row in an effort to raise € 25,000 for the charity SOS Children’s Villages and to promote the sport of tennis in Belgium. SOS Children’s Villages is the tournament’s official charity and Clijsters is an ambassador for the organisation.

Braeckman, currently coaching at the Kim Clijsters Academy in Bree, Belgium, will play 37 best-of-three matches in a row. The current Guinness World Record was set by Mike Mitchell of Great Britain, who played 36 matches over 34 hours last year. The first match will begin in the morning of Saturday 8 October on a practice court next to the Antwerp Central station, in the middle of the city. Proceeds from the event will fund the construction of a new multi-sport court in Trjavna, Bulgaria, which will serve over 100 children living in the area.

The inaugural edition of the European Open will take place from 17 to 23 October. ATP World Tour stars David Goffin, Richard Gasquet and David Ferrer will headline the event. #NextGen stars Borna Coric and Taylor Fritz are also slated to play.

Before this season, something was missing in Jiri Vesely’s game.

He had the weapons – the 120 m.p.h. serve, the whipping forehand. He had confidence from a 2015 Auckland title and a Top 50 ranking. But every time he’d face the top players on the ATP World Tour, Vesely was lacking.

The Czech had gone 0-8 against players ranked inside the Top 10 of the Emirates ATP Rankings. But he’s changed his luck this season. He shocked World No. 1 Novak Djokovic in Monte-Carlo and beat then-World No. 8 Dominic Thiem at Wimbledon.

So what’s changed? His strategy. Namely, he’s picked one and stuck with it.

In the past, sometimes Vesely had been hurrying himself to play more aggressive. Other times, the 6’6” Czech preferred more defensive tennis and tried to push the ball back.

But this season, he’s employed an aggressive game plan, starting with his serve, that’s helped him beat the top players in the world. The 23 year old hopes the strategy will also help him continue his breakthrough year and finish the season at a new career high.

Read More: Vesely Shocks Djokovic In Monte-Carlo

“I really didn’t know which game style, which plan to play against these guys or overall,” Vesely told ATPWorldTour.com at the Winston-Salem Open. “I think that this year I found a little bit more of my rhythm. I found a little bit more of my game that I really would like to play. It’s definitely a big change.”

The skills, without a doubt, were always there. He finished 2011 as the top junior in the world.

His power game naturally translated to the ATP World Tour as well, and two years later he was in the Top 100 and named the 2013 Emirates ATP Star Of Tomorrow. The expectations had been set: Vesely would soon contest the best in tennis.

But the next year, his struggles began. He fell to Andy Murray in Indian Wells. He lost to Milos Raonic at Roland Garros. By the end of 2014, the left-hander had climbed into the Top 70 but was 0-3 against the Top 10.

In 2015, the Pribran native won his first ATP World Tour title at the ASB Classic in Auckland. But Vesely lost five more matches against the top players, including a 6-4, 7-6(2) loss to Rafael Nadal in Hamburg.

“I always was very close to these top guys but I never had a win,” Vesely said.

Everything surprisingly changed in Monte-Carlo, though. Vesely battled back after losing the second set and knocked Djokovic out in the second round, handing the Serbian his earliest loss in three seasons.

His aggressive serving helped carry him to the upset. Vesely won almost 70 per cent of his first-serve points against Djokovic and going big with the weapon has remained an integral part to his new approach.

“Serving is definitely my biggest gun,” Vesely said. “Trying to be a little bit more aggressive. Trying to go to my forehands more…. And I think that’s where I made good progress.”

The focused blueprint was on display again on Tuesday evening in Winston-Salem. Facing defending champion Kevin Anderson, Vesely erased the only break point faced and won almost 80 per cent of his service points (50/64). He also frequently followed his serve with a forehand to prevail 7-6(5), 6-4.

“I served well and I think that’s what decided it today,” Vesely said after the match.

Read More: Vesely Beats Winston-Salem Defending Champion

In attempting to play more consistent, in a way, Vesely is trying to be more like his childhood idol and countryman Tomas Berdych, who’s finished in the Top 10 the past six seasons. The two played at the same club in Prostejov, and Vesely remembers as a 12 year old admiring Berdych, who was 20 but already in the Top 100.

“I really was always looking up to him and I was trying watch his practice sessions and watch what kind of stuff he’s doing,” Vesely said.

As Vesely has improved his game against the Top 10 and come closer to matching Berdych, though, he senses their relationship might be changing. It’s a shift that he’s glad to see taking place.

“We are fine. We are friends. But of course right now I think also we start to be rivals,” Vesely said before laughing. “I like that.”