Australian tennis players advance at the 2026 US Open after rain delays and match rallies
Consensus Summary
Australian tennis players, including Kim Birrell, advanced to the second round of the 2026 US Open after overcoming rain delays and match rallies. Birrell, a 28-year-old, broke her first-round jinx by defeating Petra Marcinko 3-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-3, saving a match point in the 12th game of the second set on Sunday night. The match was delayed by a 14-hour rain delay, resuming on Monday (Tuesday AEST). Birrell had previously lost to Marcinko in straight sets at Eastbourne two months ago, though she had beaten her in Texas in February. Another four Australians—Alexei Popyrin, Rinky Hijikata, James Duckworth, and Maya Joint—also advanced. Birrell earned a guaranteed payday of $US190,000 ($265,000) and is set to face Ekaterina Alexandrova next. James Duckworth, turning 35 in January, reached the second round at all four Grand Slams, while Maya Joint, a 20-year-old, rallied after a poor start to 2026. The Guardian notes Birrell’s potential rise to world No 55 and wedding plans, while the ABC highlights tough matches for Popyrin and Hijikata, including against Grigor Dimitrov and Felix Auger-Aliassime.
✓ Verified by 2+ sources
Key details reported by multiple sources:
- Kim Birrell advanced to the second round of the 2026 US Open for the first time in her fourth appearance, defeating Petra Marcinko 3-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-3
- Birrell lost her first three US Open openers in 2023, 2024, and 2025
- Birrell saved a match point in the 12th game of the second set on Sunday night
- The match was delayed by a 14-hour rain delay, resuming on Monday (Tuesday AEST)
- Birrell lost to Petra Marcinko in straight sets at Eastbourne two months ago, having previously beaten her in Texas in February
- Birrell is a 28-year-old Australian player
- Another four Australians (Alexei Popyrin, Rinky Hijikata, James Duckworth, Maya Joint) are scheduled for day-two action
- Birrell earned a guaranteed payday of $US190,000 ($265,000) for reaching the second round
- James Duckworth, turning 35 in January, advanced to the second round at all four Grand Slams
- Maya Joint, a 20-year-old, advanced after losing 13 of 14 matches since January
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- Aleksandar Vukic lost a weather-delayed epic against Rei Sakamoto 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 6-4, 3-6, 6-4
- Alexei Popyrin faces former semifinalist Grigor Dimitrov, who qualified this year after being out injured
- Rinky Hijikata has a tough match against third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime
- World number seven Alex de Minaur opens his title quest on Tuesday (Wednesday AEST) against Italian qualifier Andrea Guerrieri
- Maya Joint defeated higher-ranked Russian Liudmila Samsonova 3-6, 6-2, 6-2
- James Duckworth defeated 2026 French Open semifinalist Matteo Arnaldi, the men’s 30th seed, 5-7, 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 (10-8)
- Duckworth next faces China’s Yibing Wu for a place in the last 32
- Joint is set to face ninth seed Elina Svitolina
- Birrell is slated to rise 16 spots to a career-high world No 55, displacing Talia Gibson as Australia’s new No 1
- Birrell and her coach are wedding planning for their upcoming big day in Kingscliff at the end of the year
Where the reporting differs
Details that conflict, or appear in only some outlets:
- The ABC mentions Birrell’s win was on Court 7, while the Guardian does not specify the court number
- The ABC states Birrell’s match resumed on Monday (Tuesday AEST) after a 14-hour rain delay, while the Guardian mentions she woke up around 5am but does not specify the resumption time
- The ABC does not mention Birrell’s career-high ranking or wedding plans, while the Guardian includes these details
Source Articles
Aussie Birrell saves match point, advances to US Open second round
Gritty Kim Birrell has overcome a match point and a restless night's sleep to break her first-round jinx with a maiden US Open victory in New York.
Australian tennis battlers savour ‘crazy’ pay days at US Open
Kim Birrell, Maya Joint and James Duckworth advance on day two Birrell plans to spend $265,000 pay day on upcoming wedding An elated Kim Birrell plans on paying down her mortgage after surviving a match point and a restless night’s sleep to chalk up a life-changing US Open win in New York. The gritty Gold Coaster wore down Croatian Petra Marcinko 3-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-3 to finally reach the second round after losing all three of her previous Flushing Meadows openers in 2023, 2024 and 2025. Continue
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