At the 2024 US Open, like at all Majors, 16 men came through qualifying to earn a spot in the main draw. For the most part, being in qualifying means a player wasn’t ranked high enough to directly make the main draw. This means that most qualifiers don’t go very far–but it makes it all the more special on those rare occasions they do. So, let’s look at this year’s 16 men’s qualifiers and see who, if any, can produce the start of a memorable run.
Assessing the US Open Men’s Qualifiers
SECTION 1
Qualifier: Eliot Spizzirri (rank: 343, previous US Open appearances: 0)
Opponent: Alex Michelsen (rank: 52)
Spizzirri deserves credit for thwarting the much-talked-about Joao Fonseca in the final round of qualifying to make his Slam debut at the age of 23, though Michelsen is also being mentioned in tones of wonder following his third tour final at Winston-Salem this week, and it seems unlikely he will lose here.
First Round Outlook: Not too likely
Qualifier: Mattia Bellucci (rank: 102, previous US Open appearances: 0)
Opponent: Stan Wawrinka (wildcard, rank: 178)
The 23-year-old Italian has enjoyed his most fruitful year to date, moving beyond intriguing to impressive. He completes the set of Grand Slam appearances against the 2016 champion, who has attained almost every form of success the tour has to offer, and must be desperate for one last Slam victory.
First Round Outlook: Should be close, but advantage Wawrinka
Qualifier: Gabriel Diallo (rank: 144, previous US Open appearances: 0)
Opponent: Jaume Munar (rank: 82)
The Canadian has been slowly moving beyond the confines of the Challenger Tour, and boasts a strong record against clay specialists on hard courts. For his part, Munar has exited the US Open at the first stage in his last four appearances, and with a 5-14 record on this surface since early 2023, could well be vulnerable.
First Round Outlook: Diallo has a real chance
SECTION 2
Qualifier: Hamad Medjedovic (rank: 137, previous US Open appearances: 0)
Opponent: Fabian Marozsan (rank: 49)
Medjedovic, the reigning NextGen ATP Finals champion, has seldom been found wanting in Challenger tournaments and Slam qualifiers; he also got the better of Marozsan on the grass of Stuttgart in June. However, the Hungarian is more accustomed to navigating his way past the opening rounds of major tour events.
First Round Outlook: Possible, but advantage Marozsan
SECTION 3
Qualifier: Li Tu (rank: 188, previous US Open appearances: 0)
Opponent: Carlos Alcaraz (seed: 3)
Misgivings as to the ability of the resurgent Australian–retired at 18, returned at 24–are receding fast, following his first successful Slam qualifying campaign. Nonetheless, a comfortable victory for the French Open and Wimbledon champion, and Olympic Silver Medalist, is surely not in any serious doubt.
First Round Outlook: Not happening
SECTION 4
Qualifier: Quentin Halys (rank: 119, previous US Open appearances: 3)
Qualifier: Otto Virtanen (rank: 125, previous US Open appearances: 1)
The first of two matches in which both participants are qualifiers is likely to be a close affair. The Frenchman and the Finn have taken the big-serving game back to its simpler roots, whilst knowing when–and how–to augment that simplicity. Halys removed a pair of former quarterfinalists from Wimbledon, yet has lost all three of his US Open encounters against ostensibly beatable opponents; Virtanen is playing on his favourite surface and may just edge it.
First Round Outlook: Should be close, but advantage Virtanen
Qualifier: Timofey Skatov (rank: 189, previous US Open appearances: 1)
Opponent: Hubert Hurkacz (seed: 7)
The Skatov machine operated with full efficiency in qualifying, with the Kazakh achieving his fourth successful run out of a possible nine. Notwithstanding Hurkacz’s comparatively poor US Open record–never beyond Round 2–it is probable Skatov, very much a novice at Tour level, will take a solitary set, as he did last year against de Minaur.
First Round Outlook: Not too likely
SECTION 5
Qualifier: Yunchaokete Bu (rank: 123, previous US Open appearances: 0)
Opponent: Casper Ruud (seed: 8)
The 22-year-old from China will be making his Slam debut, having ended the interest of last year’s surprise package Borna Gojo and 2021 Australian Open semifinalist Aslan Karatsev in qualifying. It is most unlikely he will be able to ruffle the prolific plumage of Ruud, who has yet to fall in the first round of a Slam in which he is a seeded player.
First Round Outlook: Not likely
Qualifier: Diego Schwartzman (rank: 246, previous US Open appearances: 10)
Opponent: Gael Monfils (rank: 45)
The much-loved Argentine–twice a quarterfinalist at this event–may have proved wrong those who felt the seeds of terminal decline had been sown with his no-sets-dropped performance in qualifying, but all logic backs the French veteran to win their first meeting since 2021.
First Round Outlook: Possible, but not too likely
Qualifier: Jan Choinski (rank: 280, previous US Open appearances: 0)
Opponent: Roberto Carballes Baena (rank: 54)
German-born Brit Choinski battled past serve-and-volley proponent Maxime Cressy (12-10 in the deciding tie-break) to reach an overseas Slam for the first time, though he may not survive the step up in class against the Spaniard, who has shown consistency in making the second round at Flushing Meadows.
First Round Outlook: Should be close, but advantage Carballes Baena
SECTION 6
Lucky Loser: Maximilian Marterer (rank: 101, previous US Open appearances: 4)
Opponent: Alexander Zverev (seed: 4)
Marterer lost handily in the final round of qualifying, but entered the main draw when Emil Ruusuvuori withdrew. He is undoubtedly of far more modest means than his compatriot, who emerged victorious in their only previous match (at Hamburg last year).
First Round Outlook: Not likely
SECTION 7
Qualifier: Hugo Grenier (rank: 173, previous US Open appearances: 1)
Qualifier: Mitchell Krueger (rank: 170, previous US Open appearances: 2)
Our second all-qualifier affair sees two players of a similar age and ranking, both dealing in fast serves and bold groundstrokes. All of nine minutes separated their time spent on court during qualifying; it might take a deciding tie-break to separate them here.
First Round Outlook: Should be a very close match
Qualifier: Kyrian Jacquet (rank: 208, previous US Open appearances: 0)
Opponent: Grigor Dimitrov (seed: 9)
French youngster Jacquet, who is attempting an expansive, modern update of the game of his countryman Michael Llodra, has so far been denied a wildcard to Roland Garros; his maiden Slam match sees him up against the evergreen and in-form Dimitrov, for whom this is the 55th Major without interruption.
First Round Outlook: Not likely
SECTION 8
Qualifier: Maks Kasnikowski (rank: 193, previous US Open appearances: 0)
Opponent: Pedro Martinez (rank: 43)
The decisive manner in which his qualifying opponents were overcome engenders confidence that Slam debutant Kasnikowski may be able to overcome Martinez, whose win rate on hard courts in the last three years is noticeably lower than on clay (41% to 57%), although the 21-year-old’s main Tour experience is limited to occasional qualifying matches.
First Round Outlook: There’s a chance, but advantage Martinez
Qualifier: Radu Albot (rank: 138, previous US Open appearances: 9)
Opponent: Novak Djokovic (seed: 2)
It would be a severe departure from convention if the Olympic champion’s run of 70 straight opening round wins at a Slam were to be ended by Albot, whose two wins at the US Open both came in 2017.
First Round Outlook: Not advancing
Main Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
