Maddison Inglis recovered from a perilous position to progress to the second round of US Open 2022 qualifying.
The Australian trailed Georgia’s Ekaterine Gorgodze 1-3 in the final set, and 2-6 in the subsequent match tiebreak, before fighting back to secure a 7-5 3-6 7-6(8) victory at Flushing Meadows.
Fellow West Aussie Astra Sharma joins Inglis in the second round of qualifying with her 1-6, 6-1, 7(12)-6(10) victory over French player Jessika Ponchet, with a tough tiebreak in the final set.
Inglis screamed in delight as she clinched match point after almost three hours of play, and was cheered by a large crowd who had gathered around Court 6 in the shadows of Arthur Ashe Stadium.
“Towards the end, everyone kind of came over and there was huge support when either of us won a point, so it was an awesome atmosphere,” she said.
“And to have so many kids come up and watch and want autographs, it’s really special.
“I don’t feel like it was the prettiest tennis out there. She’s a really tough competitor, lost to her a couple of times in long matches. And I know she’s going to compete every point, so I’m really happy I was able to get through it, just, at the end.”
Inglis came through three rounds of qualifying to reach the main draw at Wimbledon two months ago.
After a break, she resumed her season at the recent WTA 125K tournament in Vancouver, where she reached the quarterfinals.
The world No.135 seemed to carry that confidence into Tuesday’s encounter, despite multiple momentum swings testing her resolve.
“I haven’t played much since Wimbledon, spent a little bit of time at home not very well, so it’s good to be back,” said Inglis, who served for the match at 5-3 in the third set.
“Had a couple of good matches and wins in Vancouver, and then to come through a match like that is really important, I think.
“A win’s a win, and always good to start a Grand Slam with a win. So I’m excited.”
Keep up to date with all things US Open: www.usopen.org
Latest
WA