The US Open gets underway on Sunday, and nine Brits will be vying for a deep run, the most here since 1981. It’s been five years since Emma Raducanu made history by lifting the trophy as a qualifier, but she has been sidelined by a stress fracture in her leg. Jack Draper also ruled himself out of competition as he continues to struggle with a bone bruising injury in his left arm.
British Contenders in the Main Draw
Some of the usual suspects, like Cameron Norrie and Katie Boulter, are in the main draw. Arthur Fery will also be competing following his breakout run at Wimbledon, and recent top-100 debutant Jan Choinski has gained direct entry. Plus, four more Brits came through qualifying to reach the main draw, the most in history, and Jacob Fearnley got in as a lucky loser.
Cameron Norrie and Arthur Fery
Norrie has managed to just nab a seeding for this year’s US Open following Jannik Sinner’s withdrawal. The British No. 1 reached the second week back in 2022 and will be hoping for another deep run. He recently reached the semi-finals in Los Cabos and the last 16 in Montreal, where he shocked third seed Alex de Minaur. Norrie also pushed Alexander Zverev to three sets before losing in Cincinnati. Off the court, the Kiwi-born Brit has plenty to be excited about. He popped the question to his long-term girlfriend, Louise Jacobi, during the off-season and enjoyed his stag do shortly after Wimbledon.
Fery will make his US Open main draw debut after his stellar breakout run at Wimbledon last month. As a wildcard ranked at No. 114, he stormed into the semi-finals of his home tournament. Now sitting at No. 37 in the world, Fery has guaranteed himself entry into the sport’s biggest events, including the final Grand Slam tournament of the season. The British No. 2 took some time off after his Wimbledon run to enjoy a holiday and recharge. Back in the day, Fery used to enjoy jumping off cliffs during his vacations. He’s since been back on the ATP Tour, reaching the third round in Cincinnati and the final in Winston-Salem.
Jan Choinski and Katie Boulter
Aged 30, Choinski made his top 100 debut this summer and is now sitting at a career-high of No. 75. Having come through qualifying to compete at the US Open in 2024, this is the first time Choinski will compete in New York via direct entry. The British No. 3 was born in Germany and represented his country of birth until the end of 2018, when he switched allegiances to GB. Choinski’s mum is British, while his father is Polish.
Boulter reclaimed the British No. 1 spot earlier this week, as Emma Raducanu dropped in the rankings. The 30-year-old married her long-time partner, ATP No. 6 Alex de Minaur, earlier this summer. They first had an intimate ceremony in Boulter’s home of Leicestershire, before celebrating their nuptials with a bigger wedding in Tuscany, with the likes of Laura Robson and Jodie Burrage in attendance. While it’s been the best month of Boulter’s life tennis-wise, the world No. 60 went on a five-match losing streak before she finally notched a win in Cincinnati, and then lost to recent Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova.
Qualifiers and Lucky Loser
Dart booked her place in the US Open main draw with a final-round qualifying win over countrywoman Heather Watson. She has twice reached the second round in New York. The world No. 131 recently reached the quarter-finals of the WTA 125k in Vancouver and qualified for the main draw in Cincinnati. She also won a doubles title with Maia Lumsden in Prague.
For the second year running, Jones qualified for the US Open. The world No. 104 has had a stellar summer, winning back-to-back WTA 125k titles in Italy. She also reached the semi-finals of the Axeria Open. The Brit dropped just one set in qualifying on her way to the main draw here. Earlier this year, Jones earned her first Grand Slam main-draw win at Roland Garros, and will be hoping to score another in New York.
The 24-year-old from Cambridge only made his ATP Tour debut in June when he qualified for Queen’s. He then received a wildcard into Wimbledon, competing in his first Grand Slam main draw, where he lost to Valentin Royer in four sets. Now sitting at a career-high of No. 196, Wendelken has qualified for a Major for the first time – and was made to work for it. He won three three-setters in the preliminary rounds, including a marathon 6-7(3) 7-6(5) 7-6(5) victory over No. 14 seed Vilius Gaubas in the final round. Wendelken grew up playing county cricket and counts Tommy Paul among his idols.
It’s been a big summer for Winchester-born star Samuel, even if things didn’t go to plan for his beloved Southampton FC. The world No. 110 qualified for his first Grand Slam main draw at Roland Garros, and followed it up by storming into the semi-finals of the ATP 250 event on the grass courts in Eastbourne a few weeks later, where he earned his first tour-level wins. Samuel lifted the Challenger title in Winnipeg at the end of July and came through qualifying here. The Brit led Cristian Garin 4-6 6-4 5-0 in the final round of qualies on Thursday when play was cancelled due to rain. Garin then retired during the suspension, sending the world No. 110 into the main draw.
A former world No. 49, Fearnley’s ranking has dropped this season due to injuries and loss of form, and he had to go through qualifying in New York. Although he lost to Jurij Rodionov in the final round, the British No. 4 got into the main draw as a lucky loser. Fearnley reached the second round of the US Open a year ago and has been making waves on the Challenger circuit this summer, lifting the trophy in Newport and finishing runner-up in Bloomfield Hills. He also won a round at the Masters 1000 in Montreal after coming through qualifying.
