Australia’s No 28 seed beats Sonwoon Kwon 7-5 6-2 6-3 in New YorkMaya Joint defeats Laura Siegemund 6-4 7-5 in first grand slam
Alexei Popyrin lived up to his star billing at the US Open to be the first Australian winner on day one at Flushing Meadows before being joined in round two by exciting teenage prospect Maya Joint and 2022 women’s quarter-finalist Ajla Tomljanovic. Popyrin cruised past Sonwoon Kwon without even hitting top gear, the recently-crowned Montreal Masters champion eventually progressing with a 7-5 6-2 6-3 win in a tick over two hours.
Seeded for the first time at a slam, Popyrin crunched 14 aces, broke the South Korean six times while only dropping his own serve once all match. Victory edged the 25-year-old to within one more win of a likely third-round Saturday night showstopper with the history-chasing defending champion Novak Djokovic.