Sports24 August, 20262 min read
Heather Watson Beats Claire Liu in US Open Qualifying Round 1 in New York
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Heather Watson defeated Claire Liu 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 in New York qualifying. She saved a double-break lead late in the final set to clinch win.
6 outlets told this the same way.
Watson advances in qualifying
Heather Watson kept alive her hopes of a first US Open main-draw appearance in five years by beating Claire Liu 4-6 6-2 6-4 in the first round of qualifying in New York.
The BBC said Watson set up a meeting with Spain's Angela Fita Boluda after her comeback in qualifying.
Liu vs. Watson qualifying coverage also listed the match as on Court 5, with Liu and Watson each showing specific service and return figures during the completed Round 1 match.
Sky Sports’ US Open schedule placed mixed doubles qualifying on Monday, August 24, with men’s and women’s singles 1st round beginning on Sunday, August 30 at Flushing Meadows.
Britons through, rivals set
The BBC reported that Toby Samuel, Jacob Fearnley, Billy Harris and Harry Wendelken all progressed in men's qualifying, with Samuel fighting back against Italy's Francesco Maestrelli to win 6-7 (2-7) 6-3 6-1. Harris advanced with a 6-1 6-3 win against Peru's Gonzalo Bueno, while Fearnley claimed a 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 victory over Spain's Roberto Carballes Baena to set up a meeting with Frenchman Luka Pavlovic.
In the mixed doubles draw, the BBC said Henry Patten and Lloyd Glasspool will face top names in the main draw after coming through qualifying matches on Monday. LTA’s US Open 2026 updates also listed mixed doubles qualifying matchups, including Lloyd Glasspool and Erin Routliffe taking on Neal Skupski and Luisa Stefani, and Henry Patten and Katerina Siniakova meeting Valentin Vacherot and Tatjana Maria.
Main draw format and stakes
The BBC described how the US Open mixed doubles was revamped last year to include singles stars, with the top six pairs with the best combined singles rankings receiving direct entry into the main draw and another eight receiving wildcards. It also said the tournament takes place over three days in the week before the main draw began and features a shorter scoring system with only four games required to win a set and 10-point match tie-breaks instead of a third set throughout.
Sky Sports’ preview framed the broader US Open window as running from Sunday August 30 to Sunday September 13, with live coverage on Sky Sports Tennis and Sky Sports+ and daily live text commentary on the Sky Sports app and website. In qualifying, the BBC added that China's two-time US Open quarter-finalist Zheng Qinwen defeated Xiaodi You 6-3 6-2 and will meet France's Clara Burel, while Brazilian world number 26 Joao Fonseca announced he would miss the tournament because of an abdominal injury.