British qualifier Toby Samuel secured his first Grand Slam match win by beating former world number 20 Tomas Machac 6-2 6-3 6-2 on his US Open main-draw debut. The 23-year-old from Winchester, who dropped to almost 2,000th in the world rankings after an arm injury in 2024, has enjoyed a breakthrough 2026 season and now sits inside the ATP top 100. His win sets up a second-round meeting with 18th seed Jiri Lehecka of the Czech Republic and secures automatic qualification for the Australian Open.

Samuel came through three qualifying matches this week, recovering from a set down in each, before dispatching Machac in just over 90 minutes with 24 winners to 22, and far fewer unforced errors (13 to 25). The win earned him $140,000 (£103,000), the biggest payday of his career, and he credited his University of South Carolina team-mates for their support courtside. Elsewhere, Cameron Norrie, the 29th seed, lost in four sets to Frenchman Luca Van Assche, committing 49 unforced errors to his opponent's 21 as he suffered a third consecutive early exit, while compatriot Katie Boulter progressed with a win over American wildcard Carol Young Suh Lee.