US Open 2024: Jan Choinski books spot in New York as three other Brits lose in final round of qualifying
Updated 22/08/2024 at 23:48 GMT+1
Jan Choinski spared what could have been a total wipeout for Britain's tennis players on the final day of qualifying for the US Open. After defeats for compatriots Lily Miyazaki, Sonay Kartal and Billy Harris, the pressure was on the 28-year-old to provide some cheer for his country. And he duly did so with an enthralling win over Maxime Cressy, prevailing in a third set tie-break.
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Video credit: TNT Sports
Jan Choinski has reached the US Open for the first time in his career, as he provided some cheer on an otherwise miserable day for the Brits in qualifying for the final major of the year.
Four hopefuls went into the final round of qualifying, all desperate to seal their place in the main draw.
But Billy Harris and Sonay Kartal both let one-set leads slip as they were dumped out, while Lily Miyazaki's hopes of a return to Flushing Meadows were also extinguished.
Thankfully, Choinski was on hand to save the day, as he delivered a superb performance to beat home favourite Maxime Cressy in dramatic fashion.
With Andy Murray having retired and Cameron Norrie out injured, it means there will be six Brits lining up in New York across the women's and men's singles draws.
Jack Draper, Dan Evans, Katie Boulter, Emma Raducanu and Harriet Dart were already assured of their spot in the first round.
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Choinski, who made it to the second round at Wimbledon last year, made a stunning start against Cressy, who stands at over two metres tall.
The Brit took the first set 6-0, requiring only 24 minutes to do so, as he dropped only three of 22 points behind his first serve.
The second set was somewhat tighter, with Cressy, previously ranked as high as world No. 31, holding serve for the first time in the first game.
The 27-year-old can prove to be an awkward opponent, with his huge serve and old-school style of play hard to break down if he is on form.
Indeed, Choinski found him far more difficult to handle as the match wore on, with Cressy forcing a tie-break after upping his game.
And it would be the American who prevailed to force a deciding set, taking the breaker 7-5, having not trailed at any point during it.
The pair then traded breaks at the start of the third, but Cressy was generally holding serve much more comfortably.
That proved problematic for his opponent, who himself appeared to be tiring as the match wore on.
But just as he looked down and out after being broken for a 6-5 deficit, Choinski pulled a rabbit out of the hat with a terrific display of returning, thus forcing another tie-break.
In a race to ten points, Cressy sped into a 6-3 lead, but then nerves seemed to get the better of him.
Choinski took full advantage, and when his opponent pushed a forehand long, he had two match points, the first on his own serve.
Cressy somehow saved the first, finding the baseline with a remarkable volley, before clattering down back-to-back aces for a 10-9 lead and a match point of his own.
A tame forehand into the net meant it came and went though, and the Brit then whipped a beautiful forehand down the line for 11-10.
Seconds later, he was standing arms aloft when Cressy left a ball that he thought was going long, only for it to drop in, as Choinski booked his spot in the US Open for the first time with a memorable 6-0 6-7(5) 7-6(10) success.
Kartal runs out of steam
Elsewhere, it was a disappointing day for Sonay Kartal, who lost a topsy-turvy battle against world No. 146 Yulia Starodubtsewa.
The Brit was looking to qualify for her second successive major, having made it all the way to the third round at Wimbledon earlier this summer.
And she seemed set for a place in the main draw after dominating the first set, breaking twice and taking it 6-2.
However, her Ukrainian opponent, who has made the first round of each Grand Slam so far this year, was in no mood for an early exit.
The second set was a rollercoaster affair, as it started with five successive breaks.
Starodubtsewa eventually ended that run when she held to love for a 4-2 lead, and that paved the way for her to level the match as she won the set 6-3.
A one-set shoot out for a place at Flushing Meadows followed, and the Ukrainian continued to hold the momentum as she raced into a 2-0 lead.
However, Kartal hit back, breaking back for 2-1, before holding to make it 2-2.
Things were nervy by now, and four successive games went to deuce until Starodubtsewa held to 15 for a 4-3 lead, and then broke her opponent's serve in the next game.
That shattered Kartal's resistance, as she eventually succumbed to a 2-6 6-3 6-3 defeat.
MIYAZAKI ALSO OUT
There was somewhat less tension in Lily Miyazaki's clash with Eva Lys, as the 28-year-old was beaten in straight sets.
The world No. 132, who switched allegiances to Great Britain from Japan in 2022, got to the second round at Flushing Meadows last year.
However, she will not be able to defend those ranking points in New York in 2024 after losing in just over an hour.
Her German opponent, ranked 113 in the world, breezed through the first set, breaking serve twice as she won the first four games.
Although Miyazaki regained some control when she broke back for 4-1, it was only temporary respite, as Lys duly took the next two games for a 6-1 advantage.
Although the Brit held the first game of the second set, once more it proved a false dawn as the German won the next four games for a 5-1 advantage.
There was to be no comeback from there, with Lys prevailing 6-1 6-2 in just 62 minutes.
Harris cannot continue dream run
And Billy Harris also suffered heartbreak in his attempts to make it to the main draw, despite a splendid start to his clash with Timofey Skatov.
The 29-year-old is on the brink of the world top 100 for the first time after a brilliant few months, which includes making the main draw at Wimbledon.
That is his only previous appearance at a Grand Slam, and after taking the first set 6-4, he looked on course to book his spot at Flushing Meadows.
However, Skatov, from Kazakhstan, found his form in the second set, taking it 6-0 in just 24 minutes, dropping only two points behind his serve in the process.
The decider was much tighter, with nothing to separate the pair at the midway stage.
Harris then failed to convert any of four break points in the seventh game, which went to deuce on four occasions, and that seemed to sap his confidence as he dropped serve minutes later.
There was no looking back for Skatov from there, who completed a 4-6 6-0 6-3 victory.
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