Van Assche leads French charge in US Open R1 Qualifying

#NextGen ATP Frenchman Luca Van Assche sailed past veteran Pablo Cuevas 6-2, 6-1 Monday to advance to the second round of qualifying at the US Open.

Eighteen years younger than his opponent, Van Assche converted five of 10 break points to dispatch the 38-year-old Uruguayan as he bids to make a second main draw appearance at Flushing Meadows, where he lost in the first round on debut last year.

The 20-year-old is currently No. 111 in the PIF ATP Rankings, having slipped from No. 65 a year ago. He is currently fifth in the PIF ATP Race to Jeddah as he aims to return to the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF for the second consecutive year.

Van Assche led the French charge on Day 1 of qualifying, with Richard Gasquet, Lucas Pouille and Harold Mayot all advancing.

Gasquet hopes to make his 20th main draw appearance at Flushing Meadows this year. His best result came in 2013 when he reached the semi-finals, losing to Rafael Nadal in straight sets.

Pouille will aim to replicate his qualifying success at Wimbledon earlier this year, where he won all three matches to make the main draw. The former No. 10 in the PIF ATP Rankings will face countryman Mayot in the next round, who is trying to advance through qualifying for the first time this year, having fallen in the qualifying rounds at both the Australian Open and Wimbledon.  

Former US Open quarter-finalist Diego Schwartzman also progressed to the second qualifying round following his 7-5, 6-3 win over Andrea Pellegrino. Earlier this year, the Argentine announced that he will retire after the Argentina Open in 2025, making this his final US Open. He faces fellow Argentine Thiago Agustin Tirante in the next round.