Four British players stand one win from the US Open main draw, their Grand Slam hopes hinging on Wednesday's final qualifying matches in New York.
Jacob Fearnley overcame a testing second-round encounter to move within a match of the main draw. The 25-year-old, who climbed into the world's top 50 last summer, is currently world number 100. He recovered from a break to take the opening set against Luka Pavlovic, then held his nerve in a deciding set after Pavlovic levelled, winning 6-4 6-7 (4-7) 6-4. Fearnley now meets Austria's Jurij Rodionov for a place in Flushing Meadows.
Toby Samuel produced a comeback against fellow Briton Billy Harris to keep his own bid alive. The 23-year-old, who made his Grand Slam debut at this year's French Open, lost the first set before reversing the match to win 4-6 6-4 6-1. Samuel's reward is a tie with Chile's former top-20 player Cristian Garin in the final qualifying round.
Harry Wendelken survived a three-hour contest in which he faced elimination more than once. The 24-year-old, ranked 196th, surrendered the first set and trailed 5-2 in the second before saving a match point, forcing a 5-5 reset and edging the tie-break. He closed out the victory 5-7 7-6 (7-4) 6-4 and will play Lithuania's Vilius Gaubas next.
Harriet Dart also came from behind to extend her campaign in the women's qualifying draw. The 30-year-old, ranked 77th, dropped the opener to American 16-year-old Kristina Penickova but dominated the last two sets to win 5-7 6-0 6-3. Dart could face Heather Watson or Spain's Angela Fita Boluda in her next match.
Other British players chase spots in the final qualifying round on Wednesday. Fran Jones takes on Germany's Mona Barthel and Katie Swan meets American Mary Stoiana, each aiming to reach the last hurdle before the main draw.
Not every Briton progressed. Jack Pinnington Jones won the opening set but was beaten by Finland's Otto Virtanen, losing 2-6 7-6 (8-6) 6-3, while Virtanen now has a date with former semi-finalist Grigor Dimitrov. The 35-year-old Dimitrov maintained his bid for a 15th US Open men's singles appearance with a 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 victory over Kazakhstan's Timofey Skatov.
Qualifying also features notable names on the women's side. China's two-time US Open quarter-finalist Zheng Qinwen, contesting Grand Slam qualifying for the first time since the 2022 Australian Open, beat France's Clara Burel 6-1 7-5 and will face Russian Elena Pridankina. Former champion Bianca Andreescu recorded a 6-0 6-3 win over Veronika Podre and must now overcome Slovenia's Tamara Zidansek to reach the main draw for the first time in two years.
Wednesday's winners will advance to the final qualifying round with main-draw places at stake, leaving a narrow path to New York for those who have already fought through two rounds and ending the campaigns of those who fall at the penultimate hurdle.
