US Open qualifying draw pairs Semeņistaja with Japanese player
Latvian tennis player Darja Semeņistaja will face Japan's Haju Kinosita in the first round of US Open qualifying, which starts on August 24.
The draw for US Open qualifying has been finalized, pairing 23-year-old Latvian tennis player Darja Semeņistaja, currently ranked 112th in the world, against 19-year-old Japanese player Haju Kinosita in the first round. Kinosita is presently ranked 224th but recently reached as high as 212th.
Should Semeņistaja advance past the first round, her next opponent would be either Ukraine's Anastasija Soboļeva (ranked 196th) or Georgia's Aleksandra Šubladze (ranked 190th). The highest-ranked potential opponent for a possible decisive third round is Australia's Medisona Inglisa (ranked 132nd), though predicting the actual path remains difficult.
A favorable draw, again
Analysts note that Semeņistaja's draw this year is relatively favorable, echoing last year's situation. It was precisely at the 2025 US Open qualifying event that the Latvian player broke into a Grand Slam main draw for the first time in her career, succeeding on her eleventh attempt.
Prize money and schedule
Players who reach the first round of qualifying will earn 32,000 US dollars, while those who make it into the main draw's first round will receive 140,000 dollars. This year's US Open features the largest total prize fund in Grand Slam history.
Qualifying in New York begins on August 24, with the main draw starting on August 30. Latvia's top-ranked player, Jeļena Ostapenko, has already secured a direct spot in the main draw.
