The first day of the 2016 US Open Qualifying Tournament proved to be a good day for the seeded players, but also featured two huge victories by players competing in their first Grand Slam.
Bulgarian 21-year-old Viktoriya Tomova earned the biggest win of her career on Tuesday to move one step closer to her dream of a main-draw spot at the US Open. A few hours later, 14-year-old Amanda Anisimova, the youngest player in the draw, upset Veronica Cepede Royg in her first career professional match.
Tomova, ranked No. 177 in the world, toppled No. 3 seed Tamira Paszek, 6-4, 6-2, in 99 minutes on the opening day of the US Open Qualifying Tournament. Tomova, competing at a major for the first time in her career, will now play Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandrova for a spot in the final round of qualies
In the first match on Court 11, Tomova caused one of the biggest upset of Day 1 by winning 71 percent of the points on her first serve as well as more than half of those on Paszek’s racquet. Paszek, once ranked as high as No. 26 in the world just three years ago, has fallen to No. 104. Tomova’s victory marks the first time she has defeated a player ranked inside the Top 105, with her best result coming just last month when she beat 108-ranked Viktorija Golubic on the clay of Budapest.
Most of the top seeds escaped unscathed on Day 1, including fourth-seeded Donna Vekic, fifth-seeded Kai-Lin Zhang, No. 6 seed Mandy Minella and No. 10 seed Risa Ozaki among the women and eighth seed Thomas Fabbiano on the men’s side. Only one Top 10 seed other than Paszek fell on the first day of qualies play, with No. 7 seed Renzo Olivo losing to Lorenzo Giustino, 7-6(5), 6-3.
Among the Americans advancing on the first day of the Qualifying Tournament were No. 28 seed Jessica Pegula, a 6-1, 7-6(6) winner over Nigina Abduraimova, and Kristie Ahn, who rallied to beat fellow American Francesca Di Lorenzo, 1-6, 6-3, 6-4. Other notable winners among the women were American Asia Muhammad, Kriistyna Pliskova (sister of Karolina) and Aleksandra Krunic, who reached the fourth round at the 2014 US Open.
In the men’s draw, Alexander Sarkissian toppled Gregoire Barrere of Franc, 6-4, 6-2; No. 10 seed Tim Smyczek defeated Alexander Kudryavtsev of Russia, 6-3, 6-4; and 11th-seeded Ryan Harrison defeated Cedrik-Marcel Stebe, 7-6(1), 6-3. Fellow American Dennis Novikov also advanced.
