In the long arc of athletic perseverance, few pursuits carry more quiet dignity than the return — the attempt to reclaim something once held and then lost to time. At Flushing Meadows this week, Heather Watson and a cohort of British players are navigating the grueling three-round gauntlet of US Open qualifying, each match a negotiation between ambition and circumstance. Watson, five years removed from the main draw, steadied herself after dropping the first set to move forward, joined by four compatriots who also survived their opening tests. Meanwhile, the tournament's revamped mixed doubles
Watson advances in US Open qualifying; Patten and Glasspool face tennis superstars
chasing something she hasn't had in five years
Mark
Why does Watson's return to the US Open main draw matter after five years away?
Mimi
At 34, she's not getting younger, and Grand Slam main draws are where the ranking points and prize money live. Missing the main draw for five years means she's been grinding through qualifying or sitting out entirely. Getting back in is a reset—a chance to prove she still belongs at that level.
Mark
The mixed doubles format sounds deliberately designed to create celebrity matchups. Is that cynical?
Mimi
It's strategic, not cynical. Mixed doubles has always been the forgotten stepchild of tennis. By pairing top singles players with doubles specialists, the tournament gets headlines and casual viewers. Patten and Glasspool are excellent doubles players, but they'd never make news against unknown opponents. Against Djokovic and Alcaraz? Now people pay attention.
Mark
What does it mean that Serena Williams is playing her first match in four years?
Mimi
It's a statement. She's not coming back to grind through qualifying or prove something to critics. She's stepping directly into a Grand Slam mixed doubles event against one of the best active players. It signals confidence, or at least a willingness to test herself against the current standard.
Mark
Why would Joao Fonseca skip the US Open when he's ranked so high?
Mimi
An abdominal injury at 20 years old is serious. He's already had a breakthrough year—quarter-finals at the French Open. Pushing through pain now could derail his entire career trajectory. Better to heal and come back strong than limp through a major and risk something worse.
Mark
Does Zheng Qinwen's return through qualifying suggest she's lost her edge?
Mimi
Not lost it—interrupted it. Elbow surgery knocked her down to 121st in the world. Qualifying is where you rebuild. She's a two-time quarter-finalist here, so the talent is still there. This is just the path back.
El Pulso
- Watson nearly squandered a commanding lead in the final set before holding on, a reminder that the path back is rarely clean or comfortable.
- Five British men advanced on the same day, but Broady and Gill fell — the qualifying draw offering no sentiment, only results.
- Zheng Qinwen, a former quarter-finalist now ranked 121st after elbow surgery, entered Grand Slam qualifying for the first time in years, signaling a sport that humbles even its brightest.
- Joao Fonseca, ranked 26th and among the game's most anticipated young talents, withdrew with an abdominal injury, leaving a conspicuous absence in the draw.
- The mixed doubles format — compressed to three days, shortened scoring, and stacked with Djokovic, Sabalenka, Alcaraz, and a returning Serena Williams — transforms a historically overlooked event into must-watch theatre.
- For Patten and Glasspool, qualifying is only the beginning; what awaits is an immediate reckoning with the sport's most decorated figures.
In the long arc of athletic perseverance, few pursuits carry more quiet dignity than the return — the attempt to reclaim something once held and then lost to time. At Flushing Meadows this week, Heather Watson and a cohort of British players are navigating the grueling three-round gauntlet of US Open qualifying, each match a negotiation between ambition and circumstance. Watson, five years removed from the main draw, steadied herself after dropping the first set to move forward, joined by four compatriots who also survived their opening tests. Meanwhile, the tournament's revamped mixed doubles format promises a more theatrical collision, placing doubles specialists like Patten and Glasspool directly across the net from the sport's most luminous names.
Heather Watson arrived at Flushing Meadows on Monday with a specific ambition: to reach the US Open main draw for the first time in five years. The 34-year-old British player made her case against sixth-seeded Claire Liu, dropping the opening set before composing herself to win the next two. It was not without anxiety — Watson nearly gave back a double-break lead late in the third — but she held, and will now face Spain's Angela Fita Boluda in the second round.
She was part of a broader British surge through the qualifying draw. Toby Samuel, also seeking his first US Open main-draw berth, came through a tiebreak-heavy opener against Italy's Francesco Maestrelli before pulling clear. Billy Harris was more emphatic, dismissing Peru's Gonzalo Bueno with minimal fuss. Jacob Fearnley and Harry Wendelken also advanced, though Liam Broady and Felix Gill were eliminated, both falling to Italian opponents. Every player still standing must win two more rounds before Sunday's main draw begins.
The qualifying field also featured Zheng Qinwen, the Chinese player who reached the US Open quarter-finals twice before elbow surgery dropped her ranking to 121st. She defeated a compatriot comfortably and moves on, her presence in qualifying a measure of how swiftly fortune shifts in professional tennis. Less fortunate was Joao Fonseca, the Brazilian ranked 26th and fresh from a French Open quarter-final run, who withdrew with an abdominal injury.
The mixed doubles competition occupies a different register entirely. Redesigned last year to attract the sport's biggest names, the event now unfolds over three compressed days with shortened scoring — four games per set, no-advantage rules, and match tie-breaks in place of a third set. Henry Patten, a two-time Wimbledon doubles champion, and his partner Katerina Siniakova will open against Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka. Lloyd Glasspool and New Zealand's Erin Routliffe face an even more charged encounter: Serena Williams, returning to professional tennis after four years away, partnered with Carlos Alcaraz, himself recovering from a wrist injury. For two British doubles specialists, the revamped format offers not a gentle introduction but an immediate confrontation with the sport's most storied figures.
Heather Watson is chasing something she hasn't had in five years: a main draw at the US Open. On Monday in New York, the 34-year-old British player took a significant step toward that goal, grinding past sixth-seeded Claire Liu in a first-round qualifying match. Watson lost the opening set 4-6, then steadied herself to win the next two 6-2 and 6-4, holding off a late wobble in the final set when she nearly surrendered a double-break advantage. She advances to face Spain's Angela Fita Boluda in the second round.
Watson was not alone in her success. Five other British players moved forward in the men's qualifying draw on the same day. Toby Samuel, hunting for his first US Open main-draw appearance, fought back against Italy's Francesco Maestrelli in a tiebreak-heavy first set before pulling away 6-7 (2-7) 6-3 6-1. Billy Harris dispatched Peru's Gonzalo Bueno 6-1 6-3. Jacob Fearnley beat Spain's Roberto Carballes Baena 7-6 (7-3) 6-3. Harry Wendelken overcame Italy's Stefano Travaglia 6-4 3-6 6-3. The British contingent was not without setbacks: Liam Broady fell to Italy's Marco Cecchinato 7-6 (7-4) 6-3, and Felix Gill lost to Italian Francesco Passaro 7-6 (7-3) 6-2. To reach the main draw, which begins on Sunday, all remaining players must win two more qualifying rounds.
Elsewhere in the qualifying draw, China's Zheng Qinwen—a two-time US Open quarter-finalist—made her first appearance in Grand Slam qualifying since the 2022 Australian Open. The 23-year-old, whose ranking has slipped to 121st in the world following elbow surgery last year, defeated her compatriot Xiaodi You 6-3 6-2 and will next meet France's Clara Burel. Meanwhile, Brazilian prospect Joao Fonseca, ranked 26th in the world and a quarter-finalist at the French Open, announced he will not compete due to an abdominal injury, saying he needs additional time to recover before returning to competition.
The mixed doubles competition presents a starkly different spectacle. The format was overhauled last year to inject star power into a traditionally overlooked event, and the result is a collision of worlds. Two British doubles specialists—Henry Patten and Lloyd Glasspool—have qualified and now face opponents who read like a greatest-hits list of modern tennis. Patten, a two-time Wimbledon men's doubles champion, and his Czech partner Katerina Siniakova (the world number one in women's doubles) will meet Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka, a 24-time major winner paired with the top-ranked women's player. Glasspool and New Zealand's Erin Routliffe will take on Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz—Williams returning after a four-year absence from professional tennis, Alcaraz playing his first match in four months as he recovers from a wrist injury.
The revamped mixed doubles format is compressed and unconventional. The top six pairs with the strongest combined singles rankings received direct entry into the main draw, with eight additional pairs receiving wildcards. The entire tournament unfolds over three days in the week before the singles main draw begins. Matches employ a shortened scoring system: four games win a set (rather than six), no advantage scoring, and 10-point match tie-breaks instead of a third set. The format is designed to move quickly and showcase the sport's biggest names in a format that has historically struggled for attention. For Patten and Glasspool, it means an immediate trial by fire.
Citas Notables
Joao Fonseca said he would require more time to fully recover so he can compete at a high level— Fonseca, on missing the tournament due to abdominal injury
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