Australian wildcard Dane Sweeny achieved the biggest victory of his professional career by defeating 14th seed Lorenzo Musetti 3-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 in the second round of the US Open on Thursday (Friday AEST). The 25-year-old, ranked more than 100 places below his opponent, reached the third round of a grand slam for the first time.
A Career-Defining Victory
Standing only 5ft 5in (170cm) tall, Sweeny overcame the dual grand slam semi-finalist in a match that lasted over two hours. Musetti, who has reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon and the French Open in the past two years, required a medical time-out after falling behind a double break at 0-3 in the third set. Despite the Italian's animated remonstrations with his courtside box, Sweeny continued to dominate, diving for acrobatic winning volleys at the net while sporting an ice pack on his right elbow from his first-round match.
The victory guarantees Sweeny a minimum pay day of $US290,000 ($A402,750) and a rankings rise to a career-best No 115 in the world, or better. He will face world No 22 Luciano Darderi in the last 32 on Saturday (AEST).
Other Australian Results
Fellow Australians Tristan Schoolkate and Alexei Popyrin also competed in second-round matches on the same day. Schoolkate, who came through qualifying, took the first set against fifth-seeded Flavio Cobolli but ultimately fell 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-5 after two hours and 41 minutes in New York's scorching heat.
Popyrin, who upset Novak Djokovic in the third round of the US Open two years ago, lost a tense four-set battle with Chilean Alejandro Tabilo. Popyrin took the opening set before the 25th seed claimed two pivotal tiebreakers and the match 2-6, 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-3), 6-2. Tabilo is likely to face German top seed Alexander Zverev in the next round.
Sweeny's Reaction
Reflecting on his achievement, Sweeny expressed gratitude for the opportunity. "I'm just grateful to be even able to compete in grand slams. The tennis journey is such a rollercoaster," he said. "And to soak up the atmosphere and get a win, a couple of wins, in front of this crowd, is awesome."
Australia's sixth seed Alex de Minaur was scheduled to play Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp on the Grandstand after Schoolkate's match. Sweeny's third-round match against Darderi will mark his first appearance in the last 32 of a major tournament.
