In the first round of the US Open, John Millman will have his work cut out for him against three-time champion Rafael Nadal, the second seed. In their only previous meeting, at Wimbledon two years ago, Nadal conceded only six games against the Aussie. But the 30-year-old has defied the odds before.

Millman shocked the world here in New York just last year when he ousted five-time champion Roger Federer 3-6, 7-5, 7-6(7), 7-6(3) to reach the quarter-finals. Federer had missed the last eight in Flushing Meadows just once in his previous 13 appearances. But when the Swiss superstar launched a forehand well long on match point, the Aussie calmly removed his cap and walked to the net to shake hands as the victor.

“I think one of the most important things about your tennis career and what I want to take away from it when I’m finished is a couple of little pictures that you store away in the memory bank,” Millman told ATPTour.com. “I still store away that match point when I won that one and it’s something I’ll hopefully take with me long after tennis.”

Before last year’s tournament, Millman hit with former World No. 1 Andy Murray inside Arthur Ashe Stadium. After the pair tried launching 20 to 30 balls towards the scoreboard, the Aussie didn’t necessarily expect to play on the court again during the fortnight. But after three victories, there he was walking onto a court with the capacity for more than 23,000 fans to sit layered above him, watching him upset a worldwide fan favourite.

“You’re just trying to tell yourself when you’re walking onto that court in that warm-up to try to get the feet going and try to just familiarise yourself with your surroundings as quickly as possible because it’s different,” Millman said. “It’s a massive stadium and it’s one of those places you watched as a kid.”

Then World No. 55, Millman had never previously beaten an opponent inside the Top 10 of the ATP Rankings (0-10). But Federer did not have it easy in their first FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting three years prior in Brisbane, needing three sets and more than two hours to triumph. So Millman wasn’t totally uncomfortable in the moment.

“I’m lucky probably that I’d faced him before and I faced him in Brisbane where there was a fair bit of pressure on me because you’re playing at home and the last thing you want to do is get whipped in front of your home crowd and home support,” Millman said. “So I felt as if I’d played him under a bit of pressure before and that definitely helped going into that match.”

It’s easy to forget that Federer was in control against the Aussie, making Millman feel like a “deer in headlights” at the beginning of the match. The Swiss, who admittedly struggled with the humidity, led by a set and served for the second set at 5-4 with two set points, but couldn’t convert. Millman bided his time, maintained a steady level, and never dropped his chin, hanging in there until he was able to find an opening and barge through it.

“Against some pretty good players I’d put myself in a position on pretty decent stages,” Millman said. “But the hardest thing is actually running through that finish line… when I finished there was probably a bit of relief and just a little bit of satisfaction and at the same time I acknowledge the fact that I got Roger on not his best day and that was my opportunity and I took it.”

Once Federer’s final forehand flew long, a whirlwind of a journey began for Millman. First, he endeared himself to the fans who stayed up late that evening by telling them he planned to wake up in mere hours for a fantasy football draft with friends.

“Literally the next day was the last time we could do it because Thursday Night Football was right around the corner. My mind was also on the draft, and you need to have those little things in tennis, too. Especially as an Australian, because we have to be away for a long, long time. And you need those little escapes,” Millman said.

The following day, Millman was a man in demand, completing a media tour. A friend had flown in after he defeated Mikhail Kukushkin in the third round, and a couple more booked tickets after he defeated Federer to watch their buddy take on Novak Djokovic. Millman earned a massive triumph, but he wasn’t ready for his dream run to be over.

“Obviously when you’re a kid, you don’t imagine just winning the one-off match,” Millman said. “You imagine winning the whole thing.”

Millman lost in the next round against the eventual champion, Djokovic. But for a player who had never previously made the fourth round of a Grand Slam, it was an unforgettable tournament. It was made even more special because of how much New York has meant to Millman. In 2010, he visited the city for the first time when his parents got him an early birthday present, booking him accommodations in Manhattan after losing at an ATP Challenger Tour event in Tallahassee in 2010.

Millman watched as soon-to-be drafted athletes entered Radio City Music Hall for the NFL Draft, and he also went to see a show. The Aussie loved the city. But little did he know that nearly a decade later he would captivate the city’s attention himself.

“That’s tennis, and that’s what’s beautiful about tennis. You start off regardless of who you play, it’s 0-0. It’s a game for the next two, three, four hours. It’s you versus the other person and anything can happen,” Millman said. “Very rarely do you have those games where everything goes right and you feel amazing. It doesn’t happen, so you’ve got to be there to capitalise when they’re not having one of those special days.”

Millman will try to cause another upset against Nadal.

Hyeon Chung and Soonwoo Kwon, 23 and 21 years old, respectively, have known each other for more than a decade, or as Chung described it, since they were “little kids”. They’re good friends off the court and part of the same group chat where they talk about things that have nothing to do with tennis.

But Friday was an extra special day on the court for them, as both South Koreans won their matches in the third round of qualifying in Flushing Meadows, earning berths into the main draw of the US Open.

“We practised a lot because we’re good friends,” Chung told ATPTour.com. “He played really good the past few weeks and this year so far, so I’m really happy to see him playing well.”

For Chung, it’s been a strong return to form over the past month after missing more than five months of the season due to a lower back injury. The World No. 151 played his first tournament since Rotterdam at the ATP Challenger Tour event in Chengdu, China, which he won. After competing in two more Challenger events, Chung arrived in New York with momentum, winning all three of his qualifying matches in straight sets.

“I’m really happy to be back on the Tour and I’m really happy to be through to the main draw,” Chung said. “I was injured the past few months, so I’m just trying to stay positive and enjoy every moment.”

At home Chung would have the same daily routine: training in the morning and treatment in the afternoon as he tried to heal and get himself into playing shape. The 2017 Next Gen ATP Finals champion, who made waves just two months later by reaching last year’s Australian Open semi-finals, had missed the sport.

“I’m just trying to focus on every moment and think of a good future,” Chung said. “I’m just trying to be back at tour-level as soon as possible. But these are the first tournaments, so I’m trying to stay healthy first.”

Chung tried to qualify at the US Open in 2014, and both the Australian Open and Roland Garros in 2015, but fell short on all three occasions. So the former World No. 19 is understandably excited to get through to the main draw.

“I missed Grand Slams,” Chung said. “I’m just focussed on every match because it’s not easy after a six-month injury.”

It’s even more special to be able to enjoy that success again alongside his friend, Kwon. While Chung has proven his abilities on the ATP Tour, Kwon first broke into the Top 100 of the ATP Rankings on 5 August, and he is currently at a career-high No. 90. This will be the first time he competes in the main draw of the US Open.

“I’m so grateful to play such a big tournament with Chung. We just want to congratulate each other because we’re both so happy to be here in the main draw,” Kwon told ATPTour.com. “It’s very impressive to see him playing so well after a long period of time not being on the court. Since I know Chung really well, it’s so encouraging to see him playing so well now.”

Kwon has been checking off new milestones weekly of late. At the BB&T Atlanta Open, he earned his first ATP Tour win. The next week at the Abierto de Tenis Mifel presentado por Cinemex, Kwon advanced to his maiden tour-level quarter-final. And now, he will compete in the US Open main draw for the first time against Bolivian Hugo Dellien.

“I’m excited about having so many goals and accomplishing them. I’m getting even more excited than ever before,” Kwon said.

The fan of hard courts has also been inspired by watching Chung rise on the ATP Tour. Although Chung has struggled physically since his big Australian Open run last year, Kwon had a close eye on his success nonetheless.

“That really motivates me to play even harder,” Kwon said of Chung’s early success. “It’s very impressive to see him playing so well after a long period of time not being on the court.”

Kyu Tae Im, Kwon’s coach, climbed as high as No. 160 in the ATP Rankings in November 2009. At the time, he was the only South Korean in the Top 200. So he understands the importance of having two players from his country in the main draw of a Grand Slam.

“This means a lot to both the players and Korean tennis. Soonwoo and Hyeon have a very healthy relationship; huge competition on court, but they are very supportive of each other and their team,” Im said. “I hope this would be a nice stepping stone for Korean tennis. I hope to see tennis gaining more popularity and young kids playing tennis.”

^{A young Soonwoo Kwon}
Im began working with Kwon this March, and he believes that playing qualifying at various tour-level events — and advancing to the main draw five times dating back to Wimbledon — has helped his pupil significantly.

“I never expected he would step up this fast. I always focussed on building an accountable relationship and finding strengths rather than focusing on weaknesses, and it worked,” Im said. “I think it was a smart decision to play more tour-level qualies, which helped Kwon build confidence. I am fortunate to work with such a smart player. He would pick up something during practice and apply them right away in the next match.”

After his first ATP Tour match win in Atlanta, Kwon was itching to crack the Top 100. Not only has he done so, but now he has a chance to shine on one of the sport’s biggest stages.

“Just being in the Top 100 has always been my dream since I’m very young and since I’ve already accomplished that goal, I’m getting bigger dreams more and more,” Kwon said. “It’s just incredible to have those dreams.”

Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz will play for his first ATP Tour title on Saturday at the Winston-Salem Open. The 2018 Next Gen ATP Finals qualifier beat 20-year-old Denis Shapovalov 6-3, 6-4 behind two breaks of serve on Friday evening to reach his maiden ATP Tour final.

“It feels great. It was a long day but it was a really nice day for me,” said Hurkacz, who, like the other semi-finalists, played two matches in one day because of Thursday rain. “The goal for me with Craig [Boynton], my coach, and my team is to improve every day, to be a better player. I’m very happy that we are able to improve our game, and obviously playing in the final is a huge success for me.”

The 22-year-old Pole broke Shapovalov at 4-4 in the second set and served out the match to love. Hurkacz landed only 47 per cent of his first serves, but won 80 per cent of his second-serve points. Shapovalov saw all four of his break points in the fourth game of the second set, but Hurkacz erased them all.

“That was a crucial moment, [when] I stayed positive and held my serve there. So then the pressure was on his side,” Hurkacz said.

#NextGenATP Shapovalov was also trying to reach his first ATP Tour final and fell to 0-2 in semi-finals this year (Miami). Hurkacz will try to become the first Polish tour-level winner since Wojtek Fibak captured the WCT Chicago title on 5 December 1982.

“I’m happy that Polish tennis is improving… I hope I’ll play a good match tomorrow,” Hurkacz said.

He will meet top seed Benoit Paire, who will put his perfect ATP Tour final record in 2019 on the line. The 30-year-old Frenchman sprinted to the finish in his semi-final against American Steve Johnson 1-6, 6-0, 6-0.

The veteran won 76 per cent of his first-serve points and saved six of eight break points to improve to 3-0 in ATP Tour semi-finals this year. It will be his first FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting against Hurkacz.

“First set I was not feeling very well, and Stevie was playing good. It was not easy. But after I was feeling better, I served better. So it was important for me to stay with myself. I was moving really well. I’m really happy with my win today,” Paire said.

The Frenchman has won three clay-court ATP Tour titles: the 2015 Swedish Open in Bastad and two earlier this year in Marrakech and Lyon. He’ll be going for his first hard-court title and first in the U.S.

Did You Know?
Hurkacz is the first Polish player to reach an ATP Tour final since Jerzy Janowicz at the 2014 Winston-Salem Open (l. to Rosol). He also could become the season’s 14^th first-time champion.

On Friday, the dream became reality for 16 players at the US Open. As the qualifying competition concluded under cloudy skies, some booked their spots in the main draw for the first time, while others confirmed their return to the big show at Flushing Meadows.

Rain delayed the start of play by two hours, but that did not deter Jannik Sinner. At the ripe age of 18, the Italian made a statement in fighting through to the main draw. One day after he saved two match points, rallying from a break down in the third set against Viktor Galovic, he cruised past Mario Vilella Martinez to qualify.

The surging #NextGenATP star prevailed 7-6(1), 6-0 in just 72 minutes, carrying an impressive run of form to New York after capturing his second ATP Challenger Tour title in Lexington earlier this month. Having turned 18 just one week ago, he is the youngest player in the US Open main draw.

“It feels good,” said Sinner. “I’m really happy to reach the main draw in the US Open. I’ve been trying to improve my game and make new experiences and I’m just really happy to make it through the qualies. Today I was playing much better than yesterday. I played my game and controlled the match.”

Sinner opens against Stan Wawrinka, joining American Jenson Brooksby as teenage qualifiers. The 18-year-old Brooksby, a native of Sacramento, California, is the lone American to emerge from qualifying after ousting Pedro Martinez 6-3, 6-7(4), 6-3.

Brooksby

Also punching his ticket was Hyeon Chung. The former World No. 19 is on the comeback trail after returning from a six-month injury absence (back). He would cruise into his fourth US Open main draw, not dropping more than three games in a set all week.

Watch Feature: Chung Making Most Of Challenger Comeback

Chung, who lifted the trophy at the Chengdu Challenger in his comeback debut, is a staggering 11-1 since returning to action at the start of the month. He will open against Ernesto Escobedo after dismissing Mikael Ymer 6-1, 6-3 in Friday’s qualifying finale. Chung joins Soon-woo Kwon as Koreans in the main draw of the US Open after his countryman overcame Steven Diez 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 on Court 13.

In other action, Dominik Koepfer continued his strong run of form, defeating Yasutaka Uchiyama 6-3, 6-4 to make his US Open debut. The 25-year-old German, who teamed up with former pro Rhyne Williams at the start of the year, is making a Top 100 push after claiming his maiden Challenger title in Ilkley and winning a round at Wimbledon. He is up to a career-high No. 113 in the ATP Rankings and will face Jaume Munar in the first round.

Watch Feature: Koepfer Soaring Towards Top 100

Koepfer

In addition to Sinner, other first-time Grand Slam qualifiers include Egor Gerasimov of Belarus and Sumit Nagal of India. Nagal will be thrown into the spotlight against Roger Federer in Monday’s night session after overcoming Joao Menezes 5-7, 6-4, 6-3. He stormed back from a set and 0-3 down to qualify on Court 4.

“It feels amazing,” said Nagal. “The last three Grand Slams I played I was in qualies and I didn’t win a round. Here was also very difficult with many players who used to be Top 100. I played a long first round against Tatsuma Ito and once I won the first set it got better. Yesterday I played Peter Polansky, who can do anything on the court. He’s so tough. And everyone was feeling the humidity.

“Today it was a rollercoaster. I was telling myself to hold on and stay there. Fight for a game. He was hitting good shots and I wanted to stay close and wait for my moment to break. When he starts missing shots, he keeps missing and missing. Playing main draw of a Slam feels great.”

Guillermo Garcia-Lopez will make his 13th US Open appearance, joining Santiago Giraldo, Marco Trungelliti, Evgeny Donskoy, Tobias Kamke, Gregoire Barrere, Jiri Vesely, Ilya Ivashka and Elliot Benchetrit as other qualifiers. Vesely defeated Paolo Lorenzi in a deciding tie-break after a marathon three hours and 34 minutes.

Top seeds Lukasz Kubot/Marcelo Melo went two-for-two on Friday at the Winston-Salem Open to win their first ATP Tour team title of 2019. The Polish-Brazilian pairing beat American wild cards Nicholas Monroe/Tennys Sandgren 6-7(6), 6-1, 10-3 on Friday evening to claim the ATP 250 championship, their 13^th doubles crown together.

Kubot/Melo dismissed Brits Jamie Murray/Neal Skupski 6-2, 6-3 earlier in the day. Both doubles semi-finals were postponed until Friday because of rain on Thursday.

Kubot/Melo, four-time titlists together in 2018, were 0-2 in title matches this season (Indian Wells, Halle) coming into the final. But the veteran pairing saved all five break points faced in the second set and ran away with the Match Tie-break. They’ll receive 250 ATP Doubles Rankings points and split $40,600 in prize money.

Monroe/Sandgren were playing in their second tournament together after falling in the first round of the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati last week. They beat Belgians Sander Gille/Joran Vliegen 7-6(1), 6-4 to reach the title match. The Americans will receive 150 ATP Doubles Rankings points and split $20,800 in prize money.

Rafael Nadal received a hero’s welcome from fans as he made his way onto Louis Armstrong Stadium for Media Day at the 2019 US Open, but the three-time champion shared that the opposite – a normal upbringing filled with both fun and challenging moments – has been instrumental to his success on the ATP Tour.

“You need to be prepared for the tough moments,” he said. “If you overprotect the young kids when they have problems – because in life you are going to have problems at some point – probably they are not very well-prepared…

“Probably that’s one of the reasons I have been able to be very competitive at very young stages of my career. I probably got a normal education, not like superstar education. I just played on the street with my friends. I had a very really normal life. That helps you to grow with the normal education.”

Nadal’s best memory from Flushing Meadows, rather than being the completion of his career Grand Slam here in 2010, was borne from one of those tough moments. The Spaniard missed the second half of the 2012 season with a left knee injury, and returned to finish 2013 as the year-end No. 1 with 10 titles from a career-high 14 finals.

“I think the match I have the best memory [of] probably is the final of 2013,” he said. “[It was an] important victory for me after a big and long injury in 2012. Being able to win a Grand Slam here on hard courts again was so special for me.”

The 33-year-old Spaniard, who added another US Open title to his collection in 2017, is still going strong 16 years after his tournament debut. Ahead of the season’s final major, Nadal claimed a record-extending 35th ATP Masters 1000 title at the Coupe Rogers in Montreal (d. Medvedev). Since mid-May, he’s won 21 of his past 22 matches and, in the process, became the first player this season to qualify for the 2019 Nitto ATP Finals.

“Of course, arriving to the big events with good feelings helps,” said the World No. 2. “My last events have been win Rome, win in Roland Garros, semi-finals in Wimbledon, and winning Montreal. That’s a positive feeling, positive memory on my mind. That helps for the confidence.”

Nadal’s sole loss during that period came against Roger Federer at Wimbledon, but the earliest he could face either the Swiss or defending champion Novak Djokovic would be in the final, with his chief rivals in the top half of the draw.

“I have plenty of work before that to know if I have an advantage or not,” he said of being in the other half. “So let’s see if I am able to do my work for my side.”

This year, Nadal is seeded to meet Roland Garros finalist Dominic Thiem in the semi-finals. But his first test will come against Australian John Millman, who scored a big upset last year in New York when he defeated Federer.

Nadal and Thiem played arguably the most memorable match of the 2018 US Open, when the Spaniard claimed a 0-6, 6-4, 7-5, 6-7(4), 7-6(5) victory in a quarter-final battle that wrapped up at 2:04 in the morning. Nadal, who also played lengthy matches against Karen Khachanov and Nikoloz Basilashvili earlier in the tournament, ended up retiring in his semi-final match against Juan Martin del Potro with a knee injury.

Read: A Night To Remember As Nadal Survives Thiem In Classic

“My feeling on the knees are better this year than last year,” he said. “Last year the problem was I played three or four very, very long matches. That’s tough…

“I hope to be ready for it. I think I am playing well. I am practising the right way during these days. Of course, winning in Montreal helps. I am ready for the action.”

Denis Shapovalov reached his second semi-final of the season on Friday at the Winston-Salem Open, beating Russian Andrey Rublev 6-3, 7-6(4) to make the last four at the ATP 250 event.

Before this week, the #NextGenATP Canadian hadn’t won back-to-back matches since his last semi-final, at the Miami Open presented by Itau in March. But Shapovalov, with former World No. 8 Mikhail Youzhny in his coaching box on a trial basis, has turned his season around in North Carolina.

The 20-year-old hit 10 aces and won 61 per cent of his second-serve points against Rublev, who beat seven-time Western & Southern Open champion Roger Federer last week in Cincinnati.

Shapovalov will face Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz, who beat #NextGenATP American Frances Tiafoe 4-6, 7-6(1), 6-1. Hurkacz beat Shapovalov in March at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, their lone FedEx ATP Head2Head encounter, and is also trying to reach his first ATP Tour final.

In the other semi-final, top seed Benoit Paire will meet American Steve Johnson. Paire overcame a mid-match dip to beat Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain 7-6(5), 1-6, 6-3. The Frenchman is going for his third ATP Tour title of the season this week.

Johnson, who won an ATP Challenger Tour event in Aptos two weeks ago, is through to his first ATP Tour semi-final of the season. The 29-year-old outlasted 14^th seed John Millman of Australia 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-4.

Roger Federer has won the US Open five times, but all of those victories in Flushing Meadows came in consecutive years from 2004-08. Nevertheless, the 38-year-old arrives in New York confident as he begins his pursuit of a 21st Grand Slam title.

“We were talking on the practice court yesterday or two days ago, this is probably the best I’ve felt in years coming into the US Open again, which is encouraging,” Federer said.

The Swiss superstar has long enjoyed success at the season’s final major, advancing to at least the fourth round in his past 17 appearances, dating back to 2001. But since his string of championships here, Federer has made the final just twice, in 2009 and 2015.

“It hasn’t always been easy here,” Federer said. “Two years ago I came in with a back issue a little bit, I had a struggle early on with five-setters. I remember Tiafoe and others. That set the tone the tournament was going to be tough. Last year I struggled with the heat against Millman… 2016 I missed it entirely.

“I mean, look, I have no explanation why it didn’t go as well as it did. I think [I was] a bit unlucky [with health] for sure, also. That was part of it.”

Although Federer has a strong 85-13 record at this tournament, he has not lifted the trophy in New York in 11 years. The World No. 3 doesn’t feel an itch to rejoin the winners’ circle here just because of that compared to his usual desire to triumph, though.

“I’m not putting extra pressure on myself. I know it’s going to be tough. I’m not coming in as the overwhelming favourite like maybe I did back in 2006 or 2007. I’m very much aware of how I need to approach this tournament mentally,” Federer said. “What I’m very proud of is I’ve had a very consistent last year and a half, two years, ever since my back locked up on me in Montreal. I struggled here as well, struggled for quite a while.

“I’ve been playing well. Playing well in Slams recently, which has been great. I think also the win over Rafa in the semis [of Wimbledon] was big for me. Also the finals, the way I played that in Wimbledon, is going to give me some extra confidence.”

Federer was desperately close to claiming his ninth Wimbledon title, earning two championship points against World No. 1 Novak Djokovic. But the Serbian was able to capitalise on a missed forehand from the Swiss and a passing shot from his own racquet to stay in the match, before emerging victorious after a final-set tie-break at 12-all.

“I struggled a little bit the first couple days. At the same time I was caravaning with my kids. I didn’t have that much time thinking about all the missed opportunities. I was setting up tables and organising my life for my four children, driving around the beautiful countryside in Switzerland,” Federer said. “Sometimes you have flashbacks, things like, ‘Oh, I could have done that, should have done that.’ The next day you’re having a glass of wine with your wife thinking, ‘The semis was pretty good, even the finals was pretty good.’ You go in phases.

“We put up a great fight. Somebody had to win. Novak was the better man on the day. He was tough. I don’t know. I’ve been there before, had some tough losses along the way. So many great wins, as well. I was just more upset rather than being sad. I think being upset made me get over that finals much easier than being sad, dwelling over it too much.”

In his only tournament since Wimbledon, Federer was upset in the third round of the Western & Southern Open by Andrey Rublev. The last three times Federer lost that early in Cincinnati (‘08 R16, ‘06 R32 & ‘04 R1), he went on to lift the US Open trophy.

“I’m happy where my game is at. Cincinnati might be a good thing that I lost early, who knows. It’s maybe one of those things that sometimes needs to happen, like when I won at the Australian Open, went to Dubai, lost first round in ’17, then went on to win Indian Wells and Miami,” Federer said. “Maybe the same thing, played a great Wimbledon. Needed to get knocked down in Cincy, get my act together, train hard. That’s what I did. I’m ready for the US Open.

“It’s going to be a tough tournament to win, no doubt about it. I feel like I’m part of that group who can do it.”