Taylah Preston’s first real taste of the US Open spotlight ended as quickly as it began.
The 20-year-old Australian, riding the buzz of a wildcard and a strong opening win, ran straight into the heavy artillery of Taylor Townsend and was blown away 6-1, 6-1 in just 48 brutal minutes on day four at Flushing Meadows.
There was no hiding from the gap. Townsend, feeding off the New York energy and striking cleanly from the first ball, bullied Preston off the court. The American’s weight of shot and court craft never allowed the youngster to settle, the scoreline reflecting a contest that never really caught fire.
Preston, the first Australian woman to book her place in the second round this year, became the first to leave it, her campaign over almost before the locals had finished their morning coffees.
Kasatkina dragged to the brink
If Preston’s exit was swift, Daria Kasatkina’s was a slow burn of frustration, resilience and, ultimately, heartbreak.
Australia’s top-ranked woman resumed her interrupted first-round clash with Paula Badosa under a cloud of controversy and tension. The match had been halted on Tuesday morning (AEST) in wild circumstances: Kasatkina trailing 6-1, 2-1, clinging on, saving a third match point when the rain swept in and officials called play for the night.
Kasatkina walked off relieved. Badosa walked off seething.
Fifteen hours later the Spaniard returned to court still trying to serve it out at 5-4, deuce in the second set, with the finish line in sight but not yet crossed. What followed was a test of nerve as much as tennis.
Kasatkina had already stared down two match points in a marathon 22-point game serving at 3-5. She refused to fold there and kept digging in when play resumed, fending off another six match points as Badosa’s composure was stretched to breaking point.
The Russian even carved out two break points to haul herself level at 5-5 and flip the script entirely. One clean strike, one bold return, and the momentum might have turned.
But Badosa, a former world No.2, finally slammed the door. She steadied, found her first serve when it mattered and closed out the contest at the ninth time of asking, booking a second-round showdown with defending champion Coco Gauff. Relief for the Spaniard. Nothing but regret for Kasatkina, who had dragged the match into a street fight and still walked away with nothing.
Australians still in the hunt
The Australian presence in New York is far from over.
Maya Joint is set for a stern examination against ninth seed Elina Svitolina this morning, chasing a place in the third round in New York for a third straight year. The stage suits her; the question is whether she can again ride the noise and the night into the second week’s fringes.
Kim Birrell, meanwhile, carries quiet belief into her clash with Russian 18th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova. That confidence is not misplaced. She took down world No.5 and 2024 US Open finalist Jessica Pegula at Roland Garros and knows she can bloody the nose of another seed if she finds that level again.
De Minaur races the rain
On the men’s side, Alex de Minaur finally got his US Open campaign moving after New York’s miserable weather toyed with his schedule and his patience.
While former champion Daniil Medvedev and American hope Alex Michelsen were already safely parked in the third round, de Minaur hadn’t so much as struck a ball in anger. His first-round match against Italian qualifier Andrea Guerrieri sat in limbo as the rain came and went.
When he did at last step onto court on day four, he looked like a man determined to make up for lost time. The top-ranked Australian tore through the opening stages, sprinting to a 6-2, 4-2 lead in just 49 minutes, taking time away from Guerrieri with his trademark speed and aggression.
Then the skies opened again.
De Minaur dashed back to the locker room, momentum paused but not broken. When play resumed, he picked up where he left off, closing out a clinical 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 win that underlined his intent to be more than just a sideshow in the second week.
The weather has already taken its swings at the Australians in New York. The question now is who’s still standing when the clouds finally clear.
