Watson leads British contingent through in US Open qualifying
Heather Watson has advanced in US Open qualifying after fighting back from a set down, joined by several British men, while Henry Patten and Lloyd Glasspool also progressed in mixed doubles qualifying.
British number Heather Watson, 34, kept alive her hopes of a first US Open main draw since a five-year gap by battling past sixth seed Claire Liu 4-6 6-2 6-4 in New York. Watson nearly surrendered a two-break lead in the deciding set but held on, and will next face Spain's Angela Fita Boluda.
Several British men also moved through the men's qualifying draw. Toby Samuel, chasing a first US Open main-draw appearance, recovered from a set down to beat Italy's Francesco Maestrelli 6-7 6-3 6-1, setting up an all-British clash with Billy Harris, who beat Peru's Gonzalo Bueno 6-1 6-3. Jacob Fearnley defeated Spain's Roberto Carballes Baena 7-6 6-3 and will meet Frenchman Luka Pavlovic next, while Harry Wendelken beat Italy's Stefano Travaglia 6-4 3-6 6-3 and will face Switzerland's Remy Bertola. Liam Broady and Felix Gill both lost to Italian opponents.
Players need to win three qualifying rounds to reach the singles main draw, which begins on Sunday.
Mixed doubles qualifying
In the mixed doubles event, revamped last year to feature singles stars, Britons Henry Patten and Lloyd Glasspool each came through two qualifying matches on Monday alongside their partners. Under the new format, the six pairs with the best combined singles rankings earned direct entry to the main draw, with eight more receiving wildcards, and the event is now played over three days with a shortened scoring format.
Patten and Czech partner Katerina Siniakova beat Americans Peyton Stearns and Christian Harrison, and will now face Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka in the main draw's first round. Glasspool and New Zealand's Erin Routliffe beat El Salvador's Marcelo Arevalo and France's Kristina Mladenovic, and will next play Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz, with Alcaraz returning from a wrist injury and Williams making a comeback after four years away.
