Taylah Preston and Daria Kasatkina's US Open Exits
Taylah Preston’s US Open run ended with a jolt rather than a gentle fade.
The 20-year-old Australian, the first from her country to reach the second round this year, was also the first to bow out, dismantled 6-1, 6-1 by American shot-maker Taylor Townsend in just 48 brutal minutes.
Townsend swung freely, dictated from the baseline and never allowed Preston a foothold. For the wildcard, it was a sharp reminder of the gulf that still exists at the top end of the game, even after a promising breakthrough in New York.
Kasatkina dragged down in stop-start epic
If Preston’s exit was swift, Daria Kasatkina’s was anything but.
Australia’s top-ranked woman departed in a stormy, drawn-out contest with Paula Badosa that stretched across two days and veered from farce to drama and back again.
They had resumed their interrupted first-round match with Badosa in full control, leading 6-1, 2-1 when rain first sent them from the court on Tuesday morning (AEST). Kasatkina, struggling to find rhythm, looked on the brink.
Then came the chaos.
With Badosa trying to close out the match, Kasatkina saved a third match point. Officials promptly shut down play for the night. Kasatkina left relieved. Badosa left furious, forced to sleep on a lead and a lingering sense of injustice.
Fifteen hours later, the Spaniard returned to court serving at 5-4, deuce in the second set, still one game from the finish line but with all the pressure on her shoulders.
Kasatkina refused to go quietly. She had already fended off two match points in a marathon 22-point game at 3-5 in the second set. She saved six more as the tension rose, turning what had looked like a routine win for Badosa into a test of nerve and endurance.
The Australian No.1 even carved out two break points to drag the set back to 5-5, threatening to flip the match on its head. Badosa, once ranked world No.2, finally steadied, shutting the door at last to complete the victory and lock in a second-round showdown with defending champion Coco Gauff.
For Kasatkina, it was a gritty, stubborn stand in a match that never found a natural rhythm. For Badosa, it was pure escape.
Australians still in the fight
The Australian challenge is not finished at Flushing Meadows.
Maya Joint is due to face ninth seed Elina Svitolina this morning, chasing a place in the third round in New York for the third year running. The task is steep, but Joint has made a habit of lingering into the second week’s shadows and will not be overawed by the Ukrainian’s ranking.
Kim Birrell also steps into a heavyweight contest, taking on Russian 18th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova. Birrell carries the belief that comes from a big scalp: she beat world No.5 and 2024 US Open finalist Jessica Pegula at Roland Garros, proof that she can ambush seeded opposition on the sport’s biggest stages.
De Minaur races the rain – and wins
On the men’s side, Alex de Minaur finally emerged from the rain-soaked waiting game and did exactly what a top seed should: he took control, fast.
New York’s grim weather had already shredded his schedule and nudged his title hopes off balance before he had even struck a ball. By the time de Minaur walked onto court for his first-round match, former champion Daniil Medvedev and American hope Alex Michelsen were already sitting comfortably in the third round.
De Minaur played like a man sick of waiting.
He tore through Italian qualifier Andrea Guerrieri, surging to a 6-2, 4-2 lead in just 49 minutes, stepping inside the baseline, taking time away, and hammering through his service games with ruthless efficiency.
Then the skies opened again.
Forced back to the locker room mid-surge, the Australian had every excuse to lose his edge. He didn’t take it. When play resumed, he simply picked up where he left off, closing out a 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 win that looked as businesslike as the scoreline suggests.
The stop-start week has already tested his patience. The scoreboard, though, shows no sign of strain. As the draw begins to tighten and the big names settle into their stride, the question is simple: can de Minaur turn this weather-hit start into a deep, serious run in New York?
