Former World No. 8 Jurgen Melzer began his quest for a 15th US Open main draw appearance, downing American Tennys Sandgren 7-5, 6-1 on Tuesday. The 2011 doubles champion, Melzer kicked off the first day of qualifying in New York with the victory after just 74 minutes.

“The first match of a tournament is never easy, but it was a very solid match,” said Melzer. “I kept my focus and won in straights so it’s on to the next one.”

Competing in his first Grand Slam since last year’s US Open, having recently undergone shoulder surgery, he will face Guido Andreozzi in the second round. The Austrian is coming off a strong week at the ATP World Tour 250 event in Kitzbuhel last month, where he stunned top seed and countryman Dominic Thiem. It was his first victory over a Top 10 opponent in more than five years.

“It gave me all the confidence that I needed after a 10-month break, showing that by body can hold up. It was a very good match and a good tournament. I’m happy to play at a level I’m satisfied with. I want to win matches again and that’s what I’m here for. It’s not easy playing 14 years in the main draw here and then go through qualies but that’s the way it is.”

Joining Melzer in the second round is fellow veteran Tim Smyczek, a 6-3, 6-4 winner of Russia’s Alexander Kudryavtsev. The 10th-seeded American prevailed after 73 minutes, firing three aces, while saving all seven break points faced.

“It feels really good,” said Smyczek, who will face Guilherme Clezar next. “I haven’t been winning that many matches lately, so it feels good. I’m looking to build on it because I did some really good things out there. And they were things that I do well when I’m stringing matches together.”

“Billy’s message to me is pretty much the same throughout,” Smyczek added, referring to coach Billy Heiser. “It’s been about me receiving the message and playing every point with intensity and not taking any off.”

Also battling into the second round of qualifying was #NextGen star Quentin Halys. The Frenchman snapped a six-match losing skid in style, launching nine aces en route to a dominant 6-1, 6-3 win over Egor Gerasimov. He will meet American Alexander Sarkissian on Thursday.

Meanwhile, 11th-seeded American Ryan Harrison earned a 7-6(1), 6-3 win over Cedrik-Marcel Stebe. Having previously lost to Stebe in a fifth set at Wimbledon qualifying in 2011, it was sweet revenge for the Louisiana native.

The upset of the day came on Court 4, where Stebe’s countryman Daniel Brands stunned fourth seed and World No. 99 Thiago Monteiro 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(5). The big-serving German fired 14 aces in claiming the win after one hour and 56 minutes. Aussie Matthew Barton provided just as big a shock when the World No. 194 saved a match point in downing fifth seed Nikoloz Basilashvili 6-7(3), 6-2, 7-6(6).

Wednesday’s action at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center features #NextGen stars Karen Khachanov, Jared Donaldson, Stefan Kozlov and Andrey Rublev, with former Top 10 player Radek Stepanek and top seed Yuichi Sugita also opening their campaigns.

Second seed Roberto Bautista Agut did it the hard way on Tuesday, needing more than two hours to secure a win in his opening match at the Winston-Salem Open. Much like top seed Richard Gasquet a day earlier, the Spaniard needed three sets to get his 2016 campaign off the mark. He prevailed 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 against Brit Aljaz Bedene, with his opponent serving 15 aces but finishing one for eight on break points won.

Bautista Agut, a winner of hard-court titles this season in Auckland and Sofia, will play No. 14 seed Marcos Baghdatis in the third round after the Cypriot won through a two-hour-plus struggle of his own against Donald Young. Baghdatis won 76 per cent of first-serve points in the 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 result.

Three-time semi-finalist Sam Querrey also progressed to to the third round after narrowly holding off Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez. The sixth-seeded American posted a 6-3, 6-7(5), 7-5 victory in two hours and eight minutes on the back of 24 aces.

Querrey won 86 per cent of first-serve points and saved nine of 10 break points. He awaits the winner between Viktor Troicki and Kyle Edmund.

Third seed Pablo Cuevas had a smoother path to the third round. The Uruguayan downed Malek Jaziri 7-5, 6-1 to book a clash with Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta. The No. 16 seed moved past Jan-Lennard Struff 6-4, 7-5.

For the second year in a row, Gilles Simon bowed out in his Winston-Salem opener. The seventh-seeded Frenchman fell to Argentine Diego Schwartzman 7-6(2), 6-1 on Tuesday. Schwartzman, World No. 68 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, was a finalist earlier this year at the TEB BNP Paribas Istanbul Open (l. Dimitrov). He awaits the winner between No. 10 seed Joao Sousa and Yen-Hsun Lu.

It was an early exit also for Spanish eighth seed Albert Ramos-Vinolas. He fell 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 to John Millman. The Australian next meets American wild card Bjorn Fratangelo, who knocked out 11th-seeded Italian Paolo Lorenzi, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 in two hours.

There was a new look to Steve Johnson on Tuesday at the Winston-Salem Open. Gone was the beard – “Shaved it off, it was getting a little too itchy… clean it up a little bit and keep my momma happy” – and, more importantly, the California native wore the badge of No. 1 American as he swept 2014 champion Lukas Rosol 6-3, 6-2 in 57 minutes.

“Economical. Get in, get out, it’s past my bedtime,” he said. “Lot of ups the last couple weeks. You never know how the body is going to respond mentally, physically. Came out, didn’t serve great tonight… not bad by any stretch, but not the best, and I still felt like I played the important points well and I played great from the ground.”

On Monday, Johnson snapped John Isner’s three-year reign as the top American, backed by a stellar summer run including his first ATP World Tour title in Nottingham, his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 quarter-final in Cincinnati and first Grand Slam Round of 16 at Wimbledon. He currently stands at a career-high No. 21 Emirates ATP Ranking, one spot ahead of Isner.

“Right now I’m just not hitting the panic button at any moment, until the match is over and at that point there’s not much you can do,” he said. “Even last week in Cincy, losing to Grigor [Dimitrov] I feel like I had a chance to win until that last point, and that’s just how I’m approaching matches now and that’s a big difference for me.”

Johnson will next go for his first win against Fernando Verdasco, though their previous three FedEx ATP Head2Head clashes have come on clay, most recently at Roland Garros this year. Verdasco, the No. 15 seed, advanced with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 win over American NextGen star Taylor Fritz.

Fifth seed Kevin Anderson’s title defence at the ATP World Tour 250 hard-court tournament came to an early end as he fell in a tricky opener against Czech Jiri Vesely 7-6(5), 6-4. The 23-year-old Vesely, who upset World No. 1 Novak Djokovic this past April in Monte-Carlo, evened his FedEx ATP Head2Head series against Anderson in their fourth meeting. 

“We know each other very well,” said Vesely. “We both serve good. I knew it was going to be really up to one or two important points, and I think that’s what it showed today.

“I’m very happy the way I coped with it, the way I fought because you always have to stay there and you always have to just wait for your chance. That’s what I did today. I was just very patient and waiting for my opportunities.”

In doubles, third seeds Robert Lindstedt and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi fought for a 3-6, 7-6(4), 10-6 win over the wild card duo of Skander Mansouri and Christian Seraphim. Wild cards Leander Paes and Andre Begemann, meanwhile, set up a quarter-final meeting with top seeds Lukasz Kubot and Nenad Zimonjic after defeating Chris Guccione and Andre Sa 6-4, 6-4.

Fourteen-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal will commence his season in Australia for the first time when he joins the field at Brisbane International presented by Suncorp this summer.

The Spanish ace has traditionally favoured the Middle East to start his new year campaign, but will break with tradition in January for his maiden appearance in the Sunshine State.

“It’s going to be the first time in my career that I’m going to play in Australia the first week of the season and I’m really excited about it,” Nadal said.

“I think this is something I have to do during my career and I think at the same time it’s going to be a great preparation to be in Australia early. Everybody who has been in Brisbane has told me very beautiful things about the tournament and the place so I want to try it.”

Nadal completes a clean sweep of the ‘Big Four’ to step out at Pat Rafter Arena, with fellow men’s tennis stars Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray all having competed at previous editions of the event.

Brisbane International Tournament Director Geoff Quinlan said the World No.5 would be a sure-fire favourite with fans this summer.

“We’re thrilled to announce Rafael Nadal will start his season in Brisbane in 2017 and can’t wait to welcome him to Queensland Tennis Centre,” he said.

“The Brisbane International has a reputation for attracting the biggest names in world tennis and we’re really excited our fans will have the chance to see Rafa in action this summer. We’ve been in talks with Rafa for a number of years about competing in Brisbane, he’s seen the event get bigger and better every year and we’re ecstatic he’s decided to join the field in 2017.

“Rafa is a legend of the sport and one of the most exciting players to see live so I’m sure fans will be counting down the days to January.

“This is just the start of a very exciting line-up of players we will announce over the coming months as we look ahead to Brisbane International 2017.”

Minister for Tourism and Major Events Kate Jones said securing Nadal was a win for the tournament and Queensland tourism.

“In 2016 we welcomed legend Roger Federer for a third time, and it’s fantastic to now add Rafa to the list of champions to play in Queensland’s premier tennis tournament,” Minister Jones said.

“Securing marquee players like Rafael Nadal provides a big drawcard for the Brisbane International and boosts the reputation of this world class Queensland event.”

Brisbane International 2017, presented by Suncorp and supported by Tourism and Events Queensland, will be held at Queensland Tennis Centre from 1 to 8 January. The tournament is part of the Emirates Australian Open Series, which also incorporates Hopman Cup (Perth), Apia International Sydney, Hobart International and World Tennis Challenge (Adelaide).

Pre-sale tickets are on sale to registered players through Ticketek from midday today.

For all tournament information please visit brisbaneinternational.com.au.

On 8 June, it would have been hard to believe Steve Johnson would be celebrating a lifelong dream this week at the Winston-Salem Open.

In ‘s-Hertogenbosch, he had just lost to 17-year-old countryman Stefan Kozlov 6-3, 6-4 in 87 minutes. A day earlier, the young American had won his first ever ATP World Tour match.

“Not my best match of the year by any stretch,” Johnson said earlier this week in Winston-Salem.

But the 26 year old didn’t let the defeat derail his season. In fact, the next week, he celebrated a career-high win: Johnson beat then-No. 10 Richard Gasquet at The Queen’s Club to gain the first Top 10 win of his career. Beginning with that result, he’s gone 20-7 in tour-level matches.

On Monday, he celebrated his biggest accomplishment yet. Johnson, No. 21 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, officially became the No. 1 American. John Isner had reigned at the top every week since 29 July, 2013.

“It’s easy to pinpoint now that was the turning point to my season,” Johnson said of the Gasquet match. “Even at that point, deep down I believed that I still was capable of this. Maybe there are doubts that creep in but thank goodness I have people who are close to me who never doubted me. They just continued to push me and that’s what you need when times are tough.”

It has been quite the past few months for Johnson. After reaching the quarter-finals at The Queen’s Club, he won his first ATP World Tour singles title at the Aegon Open Nottingham (d. Cuevas). At Wimbledon the next week, he reached the fourth round of a Grand Slam championship for the first time (l. to Federer).

In Washington, Johnson beat Isner in the quarter-finals before falling to Ivo Karlovic in the semi-finals. The California native also reached his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 quarter-final last week at the Western & Southern Open (l. to Dimitrov).

Johnson started the season 6-14. “That’s why you have to stay positive. It can turn around at any moment,” he said.

In Winston-Salem, he’ll trying to continue his “year of firsts” and win his first title on American soil. He has come close to making the final of a U.S. tournament. Johnson has reached the semi-finals in Washington twice and made the last four in Winston-Salem last year.

But the two-time NCAA singles champion at the University of Southern California said he feels especially comfortable playing at the Winston-Salem Open, which is held at Wake Forest University.

“You want to win on American soil as much as possible,” Johnson said. “It would be fun to win obviously one of our, what we consider our home tournaments so hopefully I’ll get a chance to be here at the end of the week.”

It was a match a less poised young player might have lost.

On Monday at the Winston-Salem Open, 21 year old Kyle Edmund faced ATP World Tour veteran Rajeev Ram for a spot in the second round. The 32 year old’s serve-and-volley tactics and flat, penetrating groundstrokes thrive in quick environments like Winston-Salem.

In similar conditions last month at the Rogers Cup, the American’s unique style helped him beat rising Frenchman Lucas Pouille and reach the third round.

But in North Carolina, Edmund was able to break Ram three times. After losing two match points, the young Brit advanced 7-5, 7-6(5).

“I just knew I had to keep going because I was playing well to get match points,” Edmund told ATPWorldTour.com. “There’s no point in moping around because if you mope around you get a slow start in the tie-break and that will cost you and then you’re in the third set anyway.”

The win was the #NextGen star’s first at the ATP World Tour 250 tournament and the latest sign of his continued development. Since the start of 2015, the 6’2” right-hander has hiked 106 spots in the Emirates ATP Rankings to No. 85.

He’s spent the season checking off career milestones. He reached his first ATP World Tour quarter-final in Doha (l. to Berdych). At The Queen’s Club in London, he made his second ATP World Tour quarter-final (l. to Murray) and gained his first Top 20 win, beating then-World No. 18 Gilles Simon 6-4, 3-6, 6-1.

Twelve months ago this week, Edmund had finished playing an ATP Challenger event and was playing qualifying at the US Open.

“If I look at this stage last year and I say am I a better player? I say definitely,” Edmund said. “I’ve played more matches on the bigger stages at the tour level… So you’re building that experience in the bank, which is good for me and that’s exactly what I want.”

Edmund has made a conscious effort this year to play more ATP World Tour tournaments and fewer Challenger events. The choice has helped him gain experience against the best in the world.

In March at the Miami Open presented by Itau, the Beverley resident faced World No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the second round but fell 6-3, 6-3. In the quarter-finals of the Aegon Championships in June, the Brit showed his improved game by taking a set off World No. 2 Andy Murray before losing to his countryman 6-4, 3-6, 6-1.

“I was pleased with what I put on court [against Murray],” Edmund said. “What you take away from that is, what we’re doing is good, but let’s do it more consistently. Step it up a level.”

Murray, who’d go on to win a record fifth Aegon Championships title, noted Edmund’s evolving game after the match.

“When he’s landing first serves and then getting the first shot of the rally on his forehand, he can dictate a lot of the points,” Murray said. “He doesn’t have a real weakness from the back. His backhand is solid… There are obviously things he’s going to continue to improve as well… I think his game is getting better all the time, and that’s very positive.”

At Winston-Salem, which is held at Wake Forest University, Edmund is looking to keep improving and enjoy another college campus in the U.S. While he was in the Dallas area for the Irving Challenger in February, he trained with the Texas Christian University men’s tennis team in Fort Worth.

“It’s always individual stuff here. To go there and work with the team is slightly different but it’s a nice difference so it’s good,” Edmund said.

He especially had fun during their off-court activity of paintballing. Edmund had never been before and learned how intense the game can get.

“We played teams, you win some you lose some. But everyone comes away with bruises, don’t they?” he said. “I put on the mask but I remember I got one right in the mouth vent. I just remembered this massive noise, and I didn’t know what happened. I knew I got hit. I went back and all my teeth were pink from the ball.”

Maybe in Winston-Salem he’ll stick to tennis.