Fearnley battles back from the brink to win thrilling US Open opener
British player Jacob Fearnley, given a late entry into the US Open after Joao Fonseca withdrew, fought back from the edge of defeat to beat Landaluce in five sets. Fellow Briton Harriet Dart also advanced, beating Peyton Stearns to reach the second round.
British tennis player Jacob Fearnley produced a dramatic comeback win in the first round of the US Open, defeating world number 65 Landaluce in a five-set thriller.
Fearnley only reached the main draw after a stroke of luck. Having lost his final qualifying match to Jurij Rodionov, he was given a late spot in the tournament following Brazilian Joao Fonseca's withdrawal.
During the fourth set, Fearnley appeared to be facing certain defeat as Landaluce served for the match. Instead, the Briton won 20 of the next 24 points, breaking serve three times, to force a decisive fifth set.
Fearnley then raced to a 5-1 lead in the decider. He failed to close out the match on his first attempt, wasting two match points with double faults and a missed smash, but regained his composure to seal victory to love on his next service game.
Both players had a similar number of unforced errors across the final two sets, but Fearnley's 30 winners compared to his opponent's 11 proved decisive.
Afterwards, the 27-year-old said the situation reminded him of a similar comeback a few weeks earlier in the Newport final, where he had also trailed before winning, giving him belief that another turnaround was possible.
Dart reaches second round
Meanwhile, British player Harriet Dart defeated American Peyton Stearns at the US Open, reaching the tournament's second round for the third time in her career.
The 30-year-old had not won a Grand Slam main-draw singles match since the second round of the 2025 Australian Open, and had failed to qualify for four of the following six majors.
Dart credited part of her recent improvement to working with former Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli, who joined her team in January. After losing the first set when broken in the eighth game, Dart capitalised on her opponent's errors to level the match before completing the win in just under two and a half hours.
