Aussie battler leads charge at US Open

Sydney’s Chris O’Connell is no stranger to adversity and proved it by winning his maiden grand slam match as three Aussies made it through in New York.

Alex de Minaur during his US Open first-round win over Slovakia’s Andrej Martin in New York City

Sydney’s Chris O’Connell, who won a maiden grand slam match in New York on Wednesday, is no stranger to adversity and always felt well-equipped to deal with the closure of the tennis circuit.

On his US Open debut, O’Connell was the first of three Australians through on the second day of the tournament, with higher-profile compatriots Alex de Minaur and John Millman also winners in their first-round matches.

Superstar Serena Williams opened her campaign for a 24th major title with a 7-5 6-3 triumph over fellow American Kristie Ahn in a confidence-boosting win given her recent struggles on court.

Serena Williams serves during her first-round win against Kristie Ahn at the US Open

Williams’ victory was the 102nd of her career at the US Open, establishing a new record. Another former champion Andy Murray produced the performance of the tournament to date to reel in Yoshihito Nishioka 4-6 4-6 7-6 (5) 7-6 (4) 6-4 in 4hr 39min.

The three-time major champion’s career looked over when he left Melbourne Park after the 2019 Australian Open. Organisers even played a farewell video on court.

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But Murray underwent a radical hip procedure and returned to tennis late last year, though his outing against Nishioka marked his comeback to major tennis.

O’Connell, too, has endured his share of battles before enjoying the finest moment of his career on Tuesday defeating Laslo Djere 4-6 6-4 7-6 (2) 6-4 in 3hr 9min.

Andy Murray fires up against Yoshihito Nishioka of Japan

Hailing from Sydney’s northern beaches, O’Connell showed promise in the infancy of his career but like many young talents, he found the going difficult at professional level initially.

The right-hander cleaned boats on Pittwater Harbour after returning home as he rekindled his desire. He was prolific on secondary tours last year, winning 84 matches and four titles as he surged to the verge of the top 100.

But after showing promise at the Australian Open, which enabled him to pay off some debts related to financing travel for his career, he was struck by the shutdown and returned to Centrelink.

Sydney product Chris O'Connell has won his first grand slam match

Not only did his win move him to a career-high ranking of 108, based on a live estimate, a cheque of at least $136,000 now awaits him.

His second round outing is likely to be at either Arthur Ashe Stadium or Louis Armstrong Stadium given his rival is last year’s finalist Daniil Medvedev.

De Minaur, who reached the last 16 in New York a year ago, was too solid for Andrej Martin in a 6-4 6-3 7-5 win over 2hr 11.

The 21-year-old, who won the Cincinnati Masters doubles on Saturday, will face French veteran Richard Gasquet, who is a three-time semi-finalist at major level.

Gasquet is among a handful of players granted a special exemption to play despite coming into close contact with fellow Frenchman Benoit Paire, who was withdrawn from the event after recording a positive COVID-19 test.

John Millman returns a volley against Nikoloz Basilashvili of Georgia

Millman, a US Open quarter-finalist in 2018, told The Australian before travelling to America that he did not have great expectations for this swing given the layoff.

But he has found form swiftly and was far too good for 22nd seed Nikoloz Basilashvili in a 6-1 6-4 6-4 win.

The Queenslander has now won four of eight outings against seeded players at the US Open.

He faces talented American Frances Tiafoe, a quarter-finalist at the Australian Open two years ago, in a second-round encounter.

James Duckworth was the only Australian to fall when he was beaten in four sets by Salvatore Caruso 4-6 7-5 7-5 6-2 in the last completed match of the day.