Felix Qualifies For First Grand Slam; Krueger Leads American Charge

The Grand Slam career of Felix Auger-Aliassime has officially begun. Two years after lifting the US Open trophy as a junior, the 18-year-old made an emphatic statement in qualifying for his first main draw at a major.

Auger-Aliassime became the youngest to qualify for a Grand Slam since a 17-year-old Andrey Rublev at the 2015 US Open, completing a dominant run this week at Flushing Meadows. He punched his ticket without dropping a set, capped by a decisive 6-3, 6-0 win over Gerald Melzer in just 61 minutes on Friday. The #NextGenATP star reeled off the last nine games of the match to seal the victory.

“It feels amazing,” Auger-Aliassime told ATPWorldTour.com following the win. “As a kid it’s something you dream of for a long time. To be in the main draw means I’m already there. I’ve thought about this for a long time. I was able to finish strong and I had the right objectives for every match. I had a good plan and was able to serve well at the right moments and was aggressive constantly.”

The Canadian’s reward? A first-round date with close friend and countryman Denis Shapovalov.

Auger-Aliassime is joined by fellow Next Gen ATP Finals contenders Ugo Humbert and Lloyd Harris in qualifying for their first Grand Slam main draws. Both Humbert and Harris have been dominating on the ATP Challenger Tour as of late and that success translated to the hard courts of New York. The Frenchman defeated Marc Polmans 7-5, 6-2, while the South African ousted JC Aragone 6-4, 6-2.

Humbert, who recently lifted his maiden ATP Challenger Tour trophy in Segovia, Spain, will open against fellow qualifier Collin Altamirano. Harris, a first-time winner in Lexington, U.S.A. earlier this month, faces veteran Gilles Simon.

Altamirano, Donald Young and Mitchell Krueger were the lone Americans to qualify on Friday. Five years removed from making his US Open debut as a wild card, Altamirano earned his way back to Flushing Meadows, not dropping a set all week. He notched impressive wins over seeds Ivo Karlovic and Lorenzo Sonego to book his spot. Meanwhile, Young overcame Peter Polansky 7-5, 1-6, 6-3, and Krueger rallied past Calvin Hemery 3-6, 7-5, 6-2.

Mitchell Krueger will make his Grand Slam debut in New York

“It feels great, especially being the US Open,” said Krueger. “I’ve always wanted to be in the main draw of a Grand Slam and it’s that much better that it’s the home slam. I earned my way into it. It feels amazing. This is the one thing I wanted. I finally got into the main draw of ATP World Tour events the past few years and I won my first match last year. I can’t put it into words right now. I’m insanely excited.”

It was a dramatic 24 hours for Krueger, as the Texas native registered back-to-back comeback wins to qualify for his first Grand Slam. Having walked off the court at 10:30pm on Thursday after saving three match points, he stormed back from a set and a break down to outlast Hemery in front of a packed Court 11. Krueger has been fighting for his tennis dreams on the ATP Challenger Tour for the past six years. On Friday, those dreams became a reality.

“Yesterday I was lucky that they were all on my own serve,” Krueger added, referring to the match points saved in the second round. “I’m in control of my own destiny. At that point, you just put the ball deep in the court and the margins are so small. And then I didn’t get off the court until past 10pm. It was tough. I tried to get to bed at a normal time. The body can only take so much and the energy was low, but I just stuck in there and fought for every point.”

Casper Ruud qualifies for his third Grand Slam of the year

Other qualifiers include #NextGenATP stars Hubert Hurkacz and Casper Ruud – No. 9 and No. 10 in the ATP Race To Milan – as well as Grand Slam debutant Federico Gaio of Italy and his countryman Stefano Travaglia, Spaniards Marcel Granollers and Tommy Robredo, Argentines Facundo Bagnis and Carlos Berlocq, Germany’s Yannick Maden and Austrian Dennis Novak.

Robredo will be making his 15th appearance at the US Open and first since 2015, as he returns to the big stage following a series of injuries.