Nick Kyrgios has fired the first shot in his comeback bid, shocking world No. 8 Casper Ruud in just his second event in almost two years. Subscribe now for unlimited access .
Login or signup to continue reading $ 0 / $ NaN /year All articles from our website & app The digital version of Today's Paper Breaking news alerts direct to your inbox Interactive Crosswords, Sudoku and Trivia All articles from the other regional websites in your area Continue Kyrgios beat Ruud in the exhibition UTS event in New York on the eve of the US Open. The Canberran had low expectations after playing just three matches since the 2022 US Open, but was in sublime form and made easy work of Ruud in his return . "It means the world to be back, it's been a rough journey.
What a way to come back," Kyrgios said. "I wasn't expecting to play this well at all. Coming out here and still having that level, it's amazing .
.. I'm surprised, but I'm not that surprised.
I've been putting in some serious work, every single day back home. "Obviously pretty emotional, it's been a brutal 11 months. I didn't know if I was going to play tennis again with the state of my wrist.
It was literally conversations of never playing again. "Casper's probably one of the best players in the world, so one of the best ways to test my wrist." Kyrgios has been training in Canberra to get his body ready to return after knee and wrist problems derailed his career just as many were tipping him to be a grand slam contender.
Nick Kyrgios made his singles comeback on Friday. Pictures UTS Tour screenshots Kyrgios made the final at Wimbledon two years ago and then the quarter-finals at the US Open, but he has barely played since. He was first struck down by a knee injury, which forced him to withdraw from the 2023 Australian Open.
He made a return later in the year, but lasted just one tournament before he succumbed to pain in his wrist. He was told he may never play again after having a secret operation in Adelaide . The effort against Ruud, and a doubles exhibition match with Naomi Osaka, show he's ready to make his return if he can withstand the rigours of week-to-week requirements of the tour.
Australia's US Open stocks climb to 20 in the main draw Australia will have its biggest contingent at a US Open in almost half a century after a record six players successfully qualified for the season's final grand slam in New York. Spearheaded by world No.10 Alex de Minaur, Australia will have 20 players in the singles main draws at Flushing Meadows, the same number as 1979, when the great Evonne Goolagong Cawley led the charge.
De Minaur and fellow seed Alexei Popyrin are among 10 men in the top 100 who gained direct entry alongside women's veterans Daria Saville and 2022 quarter-finalist Ajla Tomljanovic. Wildcards Taylah Preston and Tristan Schoolkate boosted the guaranteed starters to 14 before late-blooming Li Tu, teenager Maya Joint, veteran Arina Rodionova, as well as Kim Birrell, Priscilla Hon and Destanee Aiava all won final-round qualifying matches on Friday. The mighty effort marks the first time in US Open history that five Australian women have earned main-draw berths through qualifying and the first time in 11 years Australia has had qualifiers in both the men's and women's singles at Flushing Meadows.
South Australian Tu saved two match points in an epic 3-6, 6-1, 7-5 win over Dutch sixth-seed Jesper de Jong to earn a spot in an overseas slam for the first time. And the 28-year-old's reward is a dream showcourt showdown with third-seeded Spanish sensation Carlos Alcaraz, the reigning French Open and Wimbledon champion. The world No.
188 Tu joins de Minaur, Popyrin, Jordan Thompson, Rinky Hijikata, James Duckworth, Thanasi Kokkinakis, Chris O'Connell, Max Purcell, Aleksandar Vukic, Adam Walton and Schoolkate in the men's main draw. The super impressive Joint, still just 18, secured a grand slam main-draw debut with a 6-2, 6-1 trouncing of American world No.106 Hailey Baptiste, the tournament's third seed.
Joint will face German Laura Siegemund in the opening round. Hon advanced with a 7-6 (7-4), 6-7 (2-7), 6-4 victory over Russian top seed Kamilla Rakhimova for her best grand-slam result since the 2020 Australian Open. For her toils, Hon will take on two-time Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka.
World No.180 Aiava upset Croatia's 2016 US Open quarter-finalist and former junior singles champion Ana Konjuh 6-3, 6-2 for her third straight victory over a high-ranked rival this week. Aiava has been pitted against fourth-seeded former Wimbledon champ Elena Rybakina.
After falling in the final round of qualifying last year, Birrell went a step further with a 6-3, 6-3 win over 15-year-old American wildcard Julieta Pareja. Birrell's first-round opponent will be 24th-seed Donna Vekic. Rodionova qualified for a major for the first time since 2019 Wimbledon with a 6-4, 6-2 defeat of Thailand's Mananchaya Sawangkaew.
The 34-year-old opens against China's Xinyu Wang as eight Australian women feature in the main draw for the first time in 35 years. Share Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Email Copy Chris Dutton Sport editor Chris Dutton has been a sport journalist since 2008, covering rugby union, rugby league, basketball, cricket and soccer. He has covered World Cups and Olympic Games in print and online.
Chris has had a stint as news director, but is back in sport to follow the ups and downs. Email: chris.dutton@canberratimes.
com.au Chris Dutton has been a sport journalist since 2008, covering rugby union, rugby league, basketball, cricket and soccer. He has covered World Cups and Olympic Games in print and online.
Chris has had a stint as news director, but is back in sport to follow the ups and downs. Email: chris.dutton@canberratimes.
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