Lloyd Harris then stormed through his main draw opener on Sunday, outclassing American Jack Kennedy in an hour and 41 minutes.
South Africa’s top-ranked men’s tennis star, Lloyd Harris, punched his ticket into the US Open main draw, overcoming a gruelling path defined by physical endurance, nail-biting drama, and relentless grit.
Coming off a demanding summer swing across North America, Harris arrived at Flushing Meadows having logged an intense volume of tennis.
After competing in humid conditions to win the Challenger in Indiana and pushing through to the semi-finals in Cancun, Mexico the 29-year-old Capetonian was forced to immediately pivot to New York, stepping onto the court for his first round qualifying match just hours after landing.
That relentless schedule set the stage for a marathon qualifying campaign.
After opening his qualifying bid with a hard-fought three-set win over Australia’s Bernard Tomic, Harris found himself in a heart-stopper in the second round against Portugal’s Henrique Rocha.
With his main draw hopes hanging by a thread in the deciding third-set tiebreak, Harris faced multiple match points.
Teetering on the brink of elimination, the big-serving South African threw everything, including “the kitchen sink” at Rocha, scrapping through long rallies and staving off defeat.
Lloyd Harris eventually turned the tide to edge the epic tiebreak 12-10, transforming what looked like an early flight home into a sensational survival victory.
He carried that momentum into the final qualifying round, dispatching Spain’s Pablo Llamas Ruiz in straight sets to officially earn his spot in the main field.
Harris then stormed through his main draw opener on Sunday, outclassing American Jack Kennedy 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 in just an hour and 41 minutes.
Reflecting on his physical condition after battling back from injuries over recent seasons, Harris declared himself feeling “10 out of 10” and thriving under the big stage’s pressure.
“I feel like I’m getting younger by the day,” Harris beamed after his victory.
“I’ve had my fair share of physical issues, so it feels nice to be healthy, competing for every point, and not giving anything away.”
Off the court, the passionate football fan couldn’t escape a light-hearted interrogation about his beloved Tottenham Hotspur, who have endured a shaky start to their domestic season.
When asked about Spurs’ early-season struggles, Harris couldn’t help but chuckle at their predicament.
“At the bottom of the league!” Lloyd Harris laughed.
“They’re putting together a really strong team on paper, but the games right now It’s looking really grim. We can get the ball forward, but then it looks like me at the net. They don’t know what you’re doing!”
With his trademark humour intact and his game firing on all cylinders, Harris now turns his attention to a high-profile second-round clash in Flushing Meadows against either** Stefanos Tsitsipas** or Arthur Fils, looking to extend his remarkable New York run.
Dave Marshall*** is reporting exclusively from the 2026 US Open in New York for The South African.***
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