He's back, baby. 2017 US Open finalist Kevin Anderson made a winning return to the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on Tuesday with a 6-3, 7-5 win over Ukraine's Oleksii Krutykh in the first round of the 2023 US Open Qualifying Tournament.
The South African is playing his first Grand Slam tournament in exactly a year's time: Now 37, the former world No. 5 retired from tennis last year, but announced his return to the sport last month. He quickly made an impact in his return, reaching the quarterfinals of the US Open Series event in Newport, R.I. last month, and served up an 81-minute win in Grandstand
The big-serving Anderson's delivery looked vintage against Krutykh, as he popped in 12 aces and saved all three break points he faced. Neither man faced a break point in the first 10 games of the second set, and Anderson won the match's final three games.
But Anderson's winning return wasn't Tuesday's only top story. Read on for more highlights from Day 1 of 2023 US Open qualifying.
NCAA champ Crawley fights through Court 5 thriller
The most dramatic match of the day didn't finish until the early evening, and it was a win for 2023's top-ranked college tennis player, Fiona Crawley.
In a few ticks short of three hours, 2 hours and 55 minutes to be exact, the wild card (and North Carolina Tar Heel) outlasted Hungary's Reka Luca Jani on Court 5, 6-1, 6-7(5), 7-6(6), in a 10-point final-set tiebreak.
Despite more than 500 places between the two players in the WTA rankings (Crawley is No. 731 and Jani is No. 170), the San Antonio native raced out the gates to a 6-1, 3-1 lead in the penultimate match scheduled on Court 5. But Jani hit back, and soon, the two players found themselves in a nip-and-tuck final set, where drama swelled as fans crammed to catch a glimpse of standing-room-only theater.
The 2023 NCAA doubles champion led by a break twice in the early stages, but Jani was the first of the two to reach match point when she led 15-40 on Crawley's serve at 5-4. There, the Tar Heel found some of her best strokes: A looping, forehand passing shot off Crawley's racquet saved the first, and another forehand finisher—this time, a punishing strike off of a ball that bounced to her shoulders—saved the other.
Crawley's momentum didn't stop there, and soon, she found herself a point away from victory serving at 6-5, 40-0. But she, too failed, in her attempts to win the match in regulation, and Jani won five straight points to force the first final-set tiebreak of the tournament.
At the first changeover, the American led 4-2, and didn't look back. And when Jani's final backhand sailed wide, Crawley covered her mouth in disbelief; high-fived a fan as she walked back to pick up her towel; and applauded the faithful, standing six rows deep, whose fervert support carried her over the line.
She loves New York, indeed.
Talented teens soar into the second round
Remember some of these names: Erika Andreeva (pictured below), Petra Marcinko and Shang Juncheng. This under-20 trio was mighty impressive on the opening day of play in three emphatic wins.
Eighteen-year-old Andreeva, the older sister of 16-year-old Mirra who US Open fans will meet next week in the main draw, was a 6-4, 6-0 winner over No. 16 seed Sara Errani, the 2012 Roland Garros singles finalist; while 2022 Australian Open junior champion Marcinko, 17, rolled to a 6-3, 6-1 win over former Top 30 player Jil Teichmann.
On the men's side, China's Shang, the 2021 US Open junior finalist, won his Round 1 match over Genaro Alberto Olivieri 6-1, 6-4.
HIGHLIGHTS: E. Andreeva def. Errani, Qualifying Round 1
Top seed Jaume Munar goes down
The biggest upset of the day (on paper, anyway) belong to France's Enzo Couacaud, who knocked out No. 1 men's qualifying seed Jaume Munar of Spain, 7-5, 6-3.
In all, a trio of Top 10 seeds fell on the opening day. American wild card Patrick Kypson knocked out No. 7 seed Jurij Rodionov 6-4, 6-4 in Grandstand, while Iryna Shymanovich eased to a 6-3, 6-1 win over No. 6 seed Jaqueline Adina Cristian.
Click here for more results from the first day of the 2023 US Open Qualifying Tournament.