Dart, Jones and Wendelken turn US Open qualifying into a British finish

Harriet Dart, Fran Jones and Harry Wendelken all won through US Open qualifying, while Jacob Fearnley still reached the New York main draw as a lucky loser.

Friday did the tidying-up that Thursday’s rain had refused to allow, and it left British tennis with more to take into the US Open main draw than looked likely a day earlier.

Harriet Dart came from a set down to beat Heather Watson 2-6, 6-4, 6-1 in their all-British final-round qualifier. Fran Jones had a cleaner afternoon, beating Joanna Garland 6-4, 6-1, while Harry Wendelken survived a proper qualifying scrap against Vilius Gaubas, 6-7(3), 7-6(5), 7-6(5). Toby Samuel had already secured his place when Cristian Garin retired on Thursday with Samuel leading 4-6, 6-4, 5-0.

Dart wins the British meeting

Dart’s scoreline says plenty. Watson had the first set, but Dart took control across the last two and finished with only three games dropped after the turnaround. The reward is a first-round match against Peyton Stearns, with Dart listed in the draw as a qualifier.

Watson’s run stops one match short, which is rough in a week when the delay had already turned the final round into a stop-start job. Dart, though, now has a main-draw match that is immediate and readable: an American opponent, a New York crowd, and a chance to carry the rhythm of that comeback straight into Monday.

Jones earns Linette test

Jones did not need three sets. She beat Garland 6-4, 6-1, then landed Magda Linette in the first round. That is a sharp jump in level, but it is also the sort of draw a qualifier can attack with some match court already in the legs.

Katie Boulter did not have to go through qualifying and starts against American wildcard Carol Young Suh Lee. That gives the British women three distinct opening looks: Boulter with a match she will expect to shape herself, Jones against an experienced tour player, and Dart against Stearns in front of a home crowd.

Wendelken edges through, Fearnley gets a reprieve

Wendelken’s win was the most nervy British result of the day. Losing the first-set tie-break to Gaubas could easily have tilted the match away from him; instead he took the second and third by the same 7-5 tie-break margin. His first main-draw assignment is Luciano Darderi, the 21st seed.

Samuel’s place was already booked, and the first-round draw now has him against Tomas Machac. Jacob Fearnley lost his final qualifying round to Jurij Rodionov, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, but the current fixture list still puts him in the main draw as a lucky loser against Martin Landaluce. Jan Choinski opens against Botic van de Zandschulp, Cameron Norrie is listed against Luca Van Assche, and Arthur Fery, fresh from a late Winston-Salem run, has Lorenzo Musetti, the 13th seed.

The final qualifiers slot in