US Open 2022: Australians Alex de Minaur, Ajla Tomljanovic and Jordan Thompson lead charge with first-round wins

Australia has experienced a mixed start to the US Open but Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis are still to come on the opening day of the grand slam tournament.

Alex de Minaur is into round two at the US Open in New York. Picture: Getty Images/AFP

Alex de Minaur will get his shot at revenge when he faces his Wimbledon conqueror Cristian Garin in round two at the US Open.

Australia’s top-ranked player and the No.18 seed in New York breezed through his opener against 44th-ranked Serbian Filip Krajinovic 7-5 6-2 6-3 on Tuesday in a consummate performance.

de Minaur’s victory also helps banish memories of last year’s first-round US Open exit after he made the quarter-finals in the Covid-19-impacted 2020 men’s draw.

Countrywoman Ajla Tomljanovic also made it into the second round with a 6-3 7-6(7-5) win over 2021 Australian Open semi-finalist Karolina Muchova, as did Jordan Thompson after losing the first two sets.

Thompson fought back to oust Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego 2-6 1-6 6-2 6-4 6-4 – the second time he has managed that feat, behind the 2017 Australian Open – but John Millman and Daria Saville bowed out.

John Millman lost his first-round match in five sets. Picture: Getty Images/AFP

de Minaur failed to capitalise on a two-sets-to-love lead over Garin in a heartbreaking round of 16 defeat at Wimbledon in early July that lasted four-and-a-half hours.

The world No.20 would have set up a blockbuster quarter-final with Nick Kyrgios if he had won that match.

Garin was still battling against Jiri Lehecka when de Minaur spoke to reporters but eventually advanced in four sets over his Czech opponent.

“Good thing is, I’m in the second round and they’re out there on court right now,” de Minaur said.

“I’ll take whoever I have to play. It will be just another match. Look, of course if I play Garin, then hopefully I can get some revenge.”

de Minaur can match or better his best singles ranking of No.15 with a strong result at Flushing Meadows, after winning the Atlanta Open for a second time in July, as well as beating Denis Shapovalov and Grigor Dimitrov in Montreal.

Jordan Thompson is staging a big comeback in his US Open match. Picture: Getty Images

“The one thing I would say coming into this match I probably haven’t had before is the confidence in myself that I’m very tough to beat over five sets, if I’m there competing every single point,” he said.

“Especially in hot conditions; I was ready to play for as long as I needed to. That gave me a bit of confidence.”

The Sydneysider is drawn to meet 12th seed and Montreal champion Pablo Carreno Busta, a US Open quarter-finalist in 2017 and 2020, in round three.

Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis are among seven Australians in action on Tuesday.

Millman went down 7-6(9-7) 4-6 7-6(7-4) 1-6 6-1 to American wildcard Emilio Nava, while Saville lost 3-6 6-3 6-4 to Romania’s Elena Gabriela Ruse only days after reaching the WTA 250 final in Granby, Canada.

Tomljanovic’s second-round opponent will be Russia’s Evgeniya Rodina, while Thompson will meet Colombian Daniel Elahi Galan, who stunned No.4 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in four sets.