16-year-old Liutova wins Grand Slam qualifying debut at US Open

Sixteen-year-old Kristina Liutova kicked off her Grand Slam career with a straight-sets win Tuesday in the first round of US Open qualifying in New York.

Liutova, who burst into the spotlight by winning the Memphis Classic to become the second-youngest champion on the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz, and only the 10th player to win a title in her debut, led Tatiana Prozorova 6-4, 4-2 in her first match at a Grand Slam, including juniors. Prozorova then clawed her way back to win the next four games and take the second set.

Liutova managed to hold her nerve and complete the 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 win in 2 hours, 10 minutes. The No. 16 seed will next face Lola Radivojevic, who defeated Kajsa Rinaldo Persson 6-4, 6-3.

Former Roland Garros semifinalist Zidansek battles into second round

Earlier in the day, former Roland Garros semifinalist Tamara Zidansek kicked off Day 2 of US Open qualifying by winning a 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-5 barnburner over 18-year-old No. 10 seed Laura Samson in 2 hours and 28 minutes.

Momentum shifted back and forth throughout. Samson overturned a 2-0 deficit, then came from 4-1 down in the first-set tiebreak to steal the set as Zidansek's forehand let her down. The Czech teenager continued to produce some of her best tennis with her back to the wall: from 4-0 down in the second set and 3-1 down in the third, Samson pegged Zidansek back with her boldest forehands and net rushes of the day.

The 28-year-old Slovenian, currently ranked No. 146, kept her cool to hold off Samson's almost-but-not-quite comeback attempts. Zidansek's shots had wobbled on several occasions as she tried to cling on to her leads. However, the final game of both the second and third sets showed off the skills that had enabled her to reach a career high of No. 22 in 2022: pinpoint lobs, delicate volleys and, on her second match point, a phenomenal defensive get that skidded low and drew a forehand error from Samson.

Day 1 had seen teenage up-and-comers Jeline Vandromme, Tyra Caterina Grant, Veronika Podrez and Julieta Pareja all progress, but Zidansek's victory marked one of several scores for experience over youth in the early slate of qualifying openers -- though several of the teenagers in action still made an impact.

Other notable US Open first-round qualifying results

• 16-year-old American wild card, Kristina Penickova, notched one for the youngsters with a 7-5, 6-2 defeat of compatriot Elizabeth Mandlik -- her first win over a Top 200 player. No. 742-ranked Penickova came from 5-3 down to win the first set, saving two set points at 5-4, then took control as her smooth power game began to click to score her first victory in her third US Open qualifying appearance. Meanwhile, her twin sister Annika went down in three sets to Martyna Kubka 6-7, 6-4, 6-2.
• Two other Americans - No. 8 seed Elvina Kalieva and No. 17 seed Mary Stoiana - also advanced to the second round. Kalieva scored a 6-2, 1-6, 6-1 win over former world No. 10 Kristina Mladenovic of France, while Stoiana defeated another Frenchwoman, Harmony Tan, 6-4, 6-3.
• No. 29 seed Harriet Dart recovered after losing a second-set thriller to advance 6-0, 6-7(1), 6-1 over Jordyn Hazelitt, the 16-year-old American who'd had to win the four-player US Open Qualifying Wild Card Challenge last weekend just to earn her place in the draw. Hazelitt showed off an impressive but raw power game, tallying 36 winners to 40 unforced errors; in the second set, she led 5-3 but missed her first four set points on Dart's serve at 5-4, only to win 11 out of 12 points from 6-5 down to force a decider. There, the 30-year-old Dart pulled away as she had done in the first set.
• Dart was joined in the second round of qualifying by fellow Britons Francesca Jones and Katie Swan. No. 3 seed Jones began her bid to qualify for the US Open main draw for the second consecutive year with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Nuria Brancaccio. Meanwhile, 27-year-old Dart, still seeking her first Grand Slam singles main draw appearance outside Wimbledon, defeated American Katrina Scott 6-3, 6-1.
• Former No. 56 Nao Hibino held off another 16-year-old American wild card, USTA Girls' 18s champion Janae Preston, in a tight first set before cruising to the finishing line 7-6(4), 6-1. Another Japanese player, No. 2 seed Moyuka Uchijima, advanced to the second round with a 6-3, 6-3 win over former top-40 player Polona Hercog.
• Lucie Havlickova, the 2022 US Open junior finalist, claimed her first senior win at the tournament 6-2, 7-5 over Bulgaria's Elizara Yaneva. Havlickova, 21, fell in the first round of 2023 qualifying in her only previous appearance. Her compatriot Vendula Valdmannova, the 2025 Wimbledon junior doubles champion with Kristina Penickova, scored a 6-3, 6-3 win over Maria Lourdes Carle to also advance.
• Two Australians also advanced to the second round. Storm Sanders, aged 32, knocked out No. 19 seed Maddison Inglis 6-3, 6-0, while 28-year-old Priscilla Hon needed three sets to beat Alice Tubello 6-4, 4-6, 6-2. Hon qualified for the tournament last year and reached the third round, which remains her best Grand Slam performance.
• Dutchwomen Arantxa Rus and Suzan Lamens set up a second-round clash after hard-fought three-set wins Tuesday. Rus defeated 19-year-old Serb Teodora Kostovic 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, while Lamens battled past No. 18 seed Emerson Jones 7-5, 6-7, 6-2. Rus leads their tour-level head-to-head series 2-0.
• Former top-40 players Aliaksandra Sasnovich, Yuan Yue and Mona Barthel, now ranked No. 136, No. 138 and No. 204, respectively, also advanced to the second round. No. 13 seed Yue defeated Hanyu Guo 6-2, 6-4; No. 25 seed Sasnovich overcame Hungary’s Dalma Galfi 7-6, 7-3; and Barthel earned a 6-3, 7-5 win over American Whitney Osuigwe.