Spizzirri recovers from missed match points, qualifies for US Open main draw
Home hope Eliot Spizzirri advanced to his first major main draw Thursday when he survived #NextGenATP star Joao Fonseca 7-6(8), 6-7(5), 6-4 in the final round of US Open qualifying. The American squandered four match points in the second set, but quickly rebounded and held his nerve in a thrilling back-and-forth battle.
Spizzirri won 75 per cent of his first-serve points as he defeated the Brazilian in two hours and 36 minutes.
The American let slip a 0/40 lead on Fonseca’s serve at 5-4 in the second set and again held a match point later that game after Fonseca brought it to deuce.
Spizzirri, a native of nearby Greenwich, Connecticut, let out a sigh of relief and a loud roar after converting his sixth match point to close out the match in the decider.
The 22-year-old finished as No. 1 in the ITA final singles ranking in May for the second consecutive year. In 2023, the University of Texas graduate reached the third round of US Open qualifying.
[ATP APP]Joining Spizzirri in the main draw will be Diego Schwartzman, who advanced to his 11th consecutive US Open main draw after his victory over #NextGenATP star Vilius Gaubas 6-4, 6-4. The 32-year-old Argentine converted six of his 10 break point opportunities en route to defeating the Lithuanian, 13 years his junior.
The former No. 8 in the PIF ATP Rankings is set to make his final Flushing Meadows appearance after announcing earlier this year that he will retire following the 2025 Argentina Open. Schwartzman reached the quarter-finals in New York in 2017 and 2019, falling to Pablo Carreno Busta and Rafael Nadal respectively.
Another tour-veteran, Radu Albot, secured victory by overcoming Shintaro Mochizuki 6-4, 5-7, 6-3 to make his 10th main-draw appearance at Flushing Meadows. Albot will face Novak Djokovic in the opening round. Canadian Gabriel Diallo battled past Frenchman Valentin Royer 7-6(3), 6-4.
Hamad Medjedovic, reigning champion at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF, outlasted 19-year-old American Nishesh Basavareddy 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-1
Jan Choinski saved three match points to escape American Maxime Cressy 6-0, 6-7(5), 7-6(10). Australian Li Tu tallied four consecutive games from 3-5 in the final set to survive Jesper de Jong 3-6, 6-1, 7-5. Tu faces Carlos Alcaraz in the first round.
Timofey Skatov, Hugo Grenier, Mitchell Krueger, Mattia Bellucci, Buyunchaokete, Quentin Halys, Maks Kasnikowski, Kyrian Jacquet and Otto Virtanen also qualified.
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