Which has more pressure: lining up to try a field goal to win the Super Bowl in the final seconds, or betting $50 on a game of late night billiards in a pool hall, with only $10 in your pocket?<\/p>\n
Pressure shifts when one\u2019s well-being is on the line.\u00a0While not the same as the personal danger a late night saloon wager can bring, the pressure of the US Open<\/a> Qualifying Tournament is intense, draining. For 32 surviving men and women, the result sometimes makes or breaks a year or launches a career.<\/p>\n The world\u2019s Top 100 or so men and women in the world earn direct acceptance into the main draw of the US Open. This acceptance guarantees ATP or WTA level points, significant earnings, and the opportunity to play for riches and fame.<\/p>\n layers just outside the direct acceptance line receive an invitation to a pressure cooker, the US Open Qualifying Tournament.\u00a0 The chasm between being the last direct acceptance and the qualies is one slot in the world rankings. The experiences are worlds apart.<\/p>\n Matches played in US Open Qualifying can vary greatly. A well-known name like Donald Young, scheduled to play in the 2019 event, draws several hundred fans to the stands, maybe a thousand.\u00a0Relative unknowns, often from foreign countries and playing at off hours, play in relative obscurity. Often times, celebrity matches and practice sessions for top players draw more onlookers than actual qualifying matches.<\/p>\n In the first round of qualifying in 2018, Colombia\u2019s Santiago Giraldo complained to the chair umpire about line calls. One of about two dozen spectators nodded in agreement. The hotly contested match was so sparingly attended that Giraldo literally made eye contact and pointed at the fan who nodded.\u00a0Giraldo almost seemed to hope the fan could convince the umpire that the balls were out. Without fan help, the Colombian eventually survived Croatia\u2019s Viktor Galovic 6-4 6-4.<\/p>\n Likewise, spectators do not always understand the perils of potential qualifiers.\u00a0In qualifying Round 1 in 2018, young American Thai-Son Kwiatkowski faced Ukraine\u2019s Sergiy Stakhovsky. After surviving in three sets, onlooking kids asked Kwiatkowski for his wristbands.\u00a0\u201cI am sorry, I can\u2019t. I am not sponsored,\u201d replied Kwiatkowski before quickly offering pictures and autographs.<\/p>\n In the Nordic Naturals Challenger Tour event in California in early August, world #79 Steve Johnson won the title.\u00a0Johnson needed to win five matches to claim the trophy and $10,800 in prize money. With no players near a ranking level as high as Johnson, a single win in 2019 US Open Qualifying guarantees a player $18,000. Two wins in qualifying are worth $32,000.<\/p>\nWhat is US Open qualifying?<\/h2>\n
The Atmosphere<\/strong><\/h4>\n
The Stakes<\/strong><\/h4>\n