Fritz gives Blanch nothing, and Blanch can’t enjoy his wild-card once again

Taylor Fritz needed three straightforward sets to end the second US Open main-draw appearance of the most invited teenager in men’s tennis, the No. 9 seed beating fellow American Darwin Blanch 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 on Tuesday evening to reach the second round.

He plays the winner between Italian Mattia Bellucci and Hungarian qualifier Zsombor Piros in the second round.

Blanch, who turns 19 this month and is ranked No. 245, arrived at Flushing Meadows on what is by one count his 14th wild card into a tour-level event, eight of them at Masters 1000 tournaments and four at ATP 250s. He has won two main-draw matches across all of them, and he has yet to win one at a Grand Slam.

You might also like this

“I was really, really nervous, I must improve the mental part” – Darwin Blanch on Nadal defeat

tennis majors

Fils dispatches wild card Blanch to set up Miami Open last 32

tennis majors

Beating Fritz would have made Blanch the youngest American man to defeat a top-10 player since Andy Roddick, at 18, beat Gustavo Kuerten in Montreal in 2001, and the youngest to do it at a major since Pete Sampras, also 18, beat Mats Wilander at this tournament in 1989.

But Fritz did not let the question arise. It was his 32nd win of the season and takes him through the first round here for the eighth time in 11 appearances. The 2024 runner-up, beaten in that final on this court, arrives in New York having won the Washington ATP 500 this summer.

US Open 2026, men’s daw, 1st round

A. Zverev [1] vs L. Sonego – not played
Q. Halys d. F. Diaz Acosta: 6-4, 7-5, 6-7(7), 6-1
A. Popyrin d. G. Dimitrov (Q): 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4
A. Tabilo [25] d. Y. Hanfmann: 6-3, 6-2, 6-7(7), 6-3
L. Darderi [21] d. H. Wendelken (Q): 6-2, 3-6, 6-2, 7-5
D. Svrcina (Q) d. V. Royer: 6-4, 6-3, 5-7, 5-7, 6-2
D. Sweeny (W) vs C. Moutet – not played
A. Fery vs L. Musetti [13] – not played
R. Jodar [12] vs T. Kokkinakis – not played
F. Marozsan vs M. Zheng (W) – not played
Z. Svajda vs D. Altmaier – not played
J. Cerundolo vs A. Gea (L) – not played
Z. Bergs [31] vs C. Taberner – not played
J. De Jong vs F. Passaro (Q) – not played
J. Choinski vs B. Van de Zandschulp – not played
A. Guerrieri (Q) vs A. De Minaur [6] – not played
F. Auger-Aliassime [3] d. R. Hijikata: 7-5, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5
K. Khachanov d. R. Burruchaga: 6-3, 6-0, 6-1
A. Molcan vs B. Bonzi – not played
M. Giron vs I. Buse [32] – not played
J. Mensik [17] d. S. Mochizuki (L): 6-1, 6-4, 7-5
J. Rodionov (Q) d. G. Mpetshi Perricard: 7-6(2), 6-0, 7-6(4)
A. Vallejo vs G. Monfils (W) – not played
L. Tien [14] d. N. Borges: 6-4, 6-1, 6-2
T. Fritz [9] vs D. Blanch (W): 6-3, 6-2, 6-4
M. Bellucci vs Z. Piros (Q) – not played
C. Ugo Carabelli vs J.L. Struff – not played
F. Misolic vs F. Cerundolo [24] – not played
A. Blockx [28] d. T. Barrios Vera (Q): 6-3, 6-4, 6-2
M. Trungelliti d. J. Shang: 0-6, 7-6(5), 1-6, 6-3, 6-4
N. Basavareddy (Q) vs T. Schoolkate (Q) – not played
F. Comesana vs F. Cobolli [5] – not played
D. Medvedev [7] d. H. Gaston (Q): 6-4, 6-2, 6-4
S. Gorzny (W) d. R. Collignon: 3-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(9)
J. Munar d. T. Atmane: 6-7(5), 3-6, 6-1, 7-6(4), 7-5
A. Rinderknech [26] d. S. Shimabukuro: 6-7(4), 6-2, 7-6(4), 6-2
V. Vacherot [22] d. A. Kovacevic: 6-2, 6-3, 7-5
K. Majchrzak d. H. Medjedovic: 6-3, 6-3, 6-3
R. Sakamoto (Q) d. A. Vukic: 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-4, 3-6, 6-4
F. Tiafoe [11] d. M. Damm: 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4
B. Nakashima [16] d. S. Baez: 6-2, 6-1, 6-0
A. Michelsen d. F. Cina (Q): 6-4, 6-1, 6-0
D. Merida d. M. Fucsovics: 6-4, 6-4, 6-2
A. Rublev [23] d. O. Virtanen (L): 6-7(5), 6-7(0), 6-0, 6-2, 7-6(5)
T. Etcheverry [27] d. V. Kopriva: 6-3, 6-4, 6-0
J. Fearnley (L) d. M. Landaluce: 4-6, 6-2, 4-6, 7-5, 6-3
M. Berrettini d. S. Wawrinka (W): 7-6(4), 7-6(3), 6-0
M. Navone d. N. Djokovic [4]: 7-6(5), 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1
B. Shelton [8] d. T. Griekspoor: 1-6, 6-1, 7-6(3), 6-2
H. Hurkacz d. D. Dzumhur: 6-4, 4-6, 6-1, 6-1
D. Shapovalov d. M. Kecmanovic: 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1
L. Van Assche d. C. Norrie [29]: 6-7(6), 6-2, 6-2, 6-3
J. Lehecka [18] d. P. Carreno Busta: 6-1, 7-6(5), 4-6, 6-2
T. Samuel (Q) d. T. Machac: 6-2, 6-3, 6-2
L. Harris (Q) d. J. Kennedy (W): 6-4, 6-2, 6-2
S. Tsitsipas d. A. Fils [10]: 4-6, 7-6(3), 6-1, 6-4
A. Bublik [15] d. J.J. Wolf (W): 6-4, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1
A. Mannarino d. T. Tirante: 4-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-3
D. Prizmic d. A. Shevchenko: 2-6, 6-3, 6-3, 5-7, 7-5
T. Paul [20] d. C. Wong (Q): 6-7(3), 6-1, 6-3, 6-3
J. Duckworth d. M. Arnaldi [30]: 5-7, 6-3, 6-2, 7-6(8)
Y. Wu d. A. Walton: 7-6(2), 6-2, 7-5
J. Faria d. J. Brooksby: 6-3, 7-6(4), 4-6, 1-6, 6-2
C. Alcaraz [2] d. R. Safiullin: 6-4, 6-4, 6-4