US Open 2026: Zheng Survives, Sakamoto Ends Nishikori’s Dream as 23 Qualifiers Come Through

NEW YORK, August 28, 2026: Friday at the US Open belonged to players standing one victory from either the biggest opportunity of their careers or an ending they were not ready to accept.

Rain had prevented qualifying from reaching its planned conclusion on Thursday, leaving 23 main-draw places unresolved when play resumed at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. By the end of the full August 28 schedule in New York, those places had been claimed, several careers had reached new territory and two former Top 5 players had experienced very different conclusions.

Zheng Qinwen recovered from a suspended match and an uneven second set to defeat Elena Pridankina. Sixteen-year-old Kristina Liutova became the first player born in 2010 to reach a Grand Slam main draw. Tamara Zidansek overturned a set-and-break deficit against 2019 champion Bianca Andreescu, whose movement deteriorated after a medical timeout.

The men’s competition produced an equally significant generational shift. Rei Sakamoto defeated Kei Nishikori 6-4, 7-6(3), ending the former finalist’s attempt to play one final US Open main draw. Federico Cina survived Buyunchaokete in three sets, Nishesh Basavareddy removed top qualifying seed Arthur Gea, and Tristan Schoolkate escaped Liam Draxl after a deciding-set tiebreak.

Friday was officially the final day of singles qualifying. Its deeper meaning came from the names moving in opposite directions. Zheng returned from a difficult injury period, Andreescu and Nishikori were denied another main-draw appearance, while Sakamoto, Cina, Liutova, Anouk Koevermans, Elvina Kalieva, Mary Stoiana and Lucie Havlickova crossed a Grand Slam threshold for the first time.

Readers can revisit Thursday’s rain-disrupted qualifying and draw developments before examining how Friday completed the field.

US Open August 28, 2026: Friday at a Glance

Friday storyline	Outcome
Matches deciding main-draw places	23
Men’s qualifying matches completed Friday	11
Women’s qualifying matches completed Friday	12
Featured men’s result	Rei Sakamoto def. Kei Nishikori 6-4, 7-6(3)
Featured women’s result	Zheng Qinwen def. Elena Pridankina 6-4, 3-6, 6-0
Major women’s upset	Tamara Zidansek def. Bianca Andreescu 2-6, 6-3, 6-4
Youngest breakthrough	Kristina Liutova, 16, reached her first Grand Slam main draw
Main-draw singles begin	Sunday, August 30

Zheng Qinwen Turns a Rain Delay Into a Main-Draw Return

Zheng’s final qualifying match contained enough disruption to expose the uncertainty surrounding her return, but it also produced her most convincing response of the week.

The 23-year-old defeated Pridankina 6-4, 3-6, 6-0 in a match completed over two days. Play had been suspended on Thursday with Pridankina leading 5-2 in the second set. When they returned Friday, Zheng could not save that set, but she immediately changed the direction of the contest.

The Chinese player won seven of the final eight games, including all six in the deciding set. Her forehand down the line became the defining shot as she completed victory in two hours and 19 minutes.

This was only Zheng’s second appearance in Grand Slam qualifying. She successfully negotiated her first at the 2022 Australian Open before developing into a Top 5 player and reaching consecutive US Open quarterfinals in 2023 and 2024.

Right elbow surgery interrupted that rise. Zheng missed the 2025 US Open and the 2026 Australian Open during the long recovery, leaving her to earn her New York place through qualifying rather than receiving the automatic access her previous ranking once guaranteed.

She now faces a surprising first-round opponent: Liutova, another qualifier and the youngest player to emerge from the women’s field.

Kristina Liutova Becomes the First 2010-Born Grand Slam Main-Draw Player

Liutova’s progress is no longer an isolated teenage result.

The 16-year-old defeated Martyna Kubka 6-4, 6-0 to become the first player born in 2010 to qualify for a Grand Slam main draw. She committed only 10 unforced errors and completed the second set without conceding a game.

Her three victories in New York extended her winning streak to nine matches and improved her 2026 record to 36-4. The sequence began gathering serious attention when she won the Memphis title as a qualifier in her WTA debut.

Across eight qualifying sets at the US Open, Liutova committed only 43 unforced errors, an average slightly above five per set. That control helps explain why someone so young has adapted quickly to senior competition. Her game is not depending entirely on fearless hitting or opponents struggling with an unfamiliar teenager. She is limiting the cheap points that normally accompany inexperience.

The draw has rewarded her breakthrough with its most revealing examination. Zheng brings major-tournament experience, elite weight of shot and the pressure of trying to restore her place near the top. Liutova brings nine consecutive victories and very little reason to fear the occasion.

Bianca Andreescu Loses Control After Leading Zidansek

Andreescu appeared to have regained control of her New York story when she won the opening set 6-2 and moved ahead 3-1 in the second. Her return to the main draw was five games away.

Zidansek changed the match from there.

The Slovenian recovered to win 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 in two hours and 44 minutes, using her forehand to move Andreescu across the baseline and exploit the physical difficulty that became increasingly visible.

Andreescu took a medical timeout while trailing 4-3 in the second set. Her movement remained limited afterward, although she continued competing and produced several high-quality defensive shots during the deciding set.

The defeat carries unusual weight because Andreescu remains the most recent Canadian woman to win the US Open. Her 2019 championship came with a final victory over Serena Williams and appeared to announce the arrival of a long-term major contender. Injuries have repeatedly interrupted that trajectory.

Zidansek is now 2-0 against Andreescu. Their previous meeting came in the first round of the 2021 French Open, where Zidansek won a three-hour, 20-minute contest before advancing to the semifinals. Friday’s victory returned her to the US Open main draw for the first time since 2022.

Rei Sakamoto Ends Kei Nishikori’s Final US Open Run

Nishikori’s final qualifying match placed two generations of Japanese tennis on opposite sides of the net.

The former world No. 4 and 2014 US Open finalist needed one more victory to return to the main draw during his final professional season. Sakamoto, 20, was trying to qualify in New York for the first time.

The younger player won 6-4, 7-6(3).

Sakamoto protected his advantage through the opening set and handled the emotional pressure of the second-set tiebreak with greater precision. Nishikori remained close enough to threaten a deciding set, but the match never became the farewell run he had hoped to build.

Nishikori’s relationship with New York will still be defined by his 2014 breakthrough. He defeated Milos Raonic, Stan Wawrinka and Novak Djokovic before losing to Marin Cilic in the final, becoming the first Asian man to reach a Grand Slam singles championship match.

Friday gave the same court complex a different role. Rather than extending Nishikori’s final Grand Slam, it introduced Sakamoto to his first US Open main draw.

The result followed an emotional week of farewell stories at Flushing Meadows. Roger Federer’s special exhibition gave New York the goodbye explored in The Sports Encounter’s report on Federer’s Arthur Ashe return, while Stan Wawrinka received a late wildcard for his final appearance. Nishikori did not receive the same main-draw conclusion because Sakamoto earned the right to take his place.

Federico Cina Survives the Match That Refused to Settle

Cina’s 3-6, 6-4, 7-5 victory over Buyunchaokete provided one of Friday’s clearest tests of nerve.

The 19-year-old Italian lost the opening set and remained within one poor service game of elimination deep into the decider. He stayed close enough to pressure Buyunchaokete at 5-5, found the late break and completed a victory that places him in his first US Open main draw.

Cina entered the tournament seventh in the ATP Live Next Gen Race, three positions ahead of Sakamoto. Their simultaneous breakthroughs strengthen a qualifying field that produced more than access to the first round. It introduced two teenagers already pushing toward the next level of the men’s game.

The opportunity ahead is unusually open. Jannik Sinner’s withdrawal, Carlos Alcaraz’s return from a wrist injury and Alexander Zverev’s position as top seed have reshaped the championship race, as examined in our US Open men’s title analysis.

Nishesh Basavareddy Removes the Top Qualifying Seed

Basavareddy produced one of Friday’s most convincing performances, defeating top qualifying seed Arthur Gea 6-3, 6-1.

The American entered the final round as the No. 32 seed but played with far greater authority than that gap suggested. He controlled the opening set, denied Gea a route back into the match and accelerated through the second.

The victory gives Basavareddy another US Open main-draw appearance and adds him to a strong American presence around the tournament. Coco Gauff arrives as the Cincinnati champion, a development explored in our women’s US Open form report, while Taylor Fritz, Ben Shelton, Frances Tiafoe and other leading American men carry the continuing pressure to end the country’s long wait for a men’s major champion.

Hugo Gaston and Dalibor Svrcina Recover From First-Set Defeats

Gaston and Svrcina reached the main draw through similar scorelines but different match patterns.

Gaston recovered from a difficult opening set to defeat American Colton Smith 1-6, 6-4, 6-2. Smith appeared to have solved the match early, but Gaston gradually disrupted his rhythm, leveled the contest and controlled the deciding set.

Svrcina defeated Mackenzie McDonald 4-6, 6-2, 7-5. The Czech player responded immediately after losing the first set, then survived a far tighter decider against an opponent with considerable main-draw experience.

Their results reinforced a recurring theme from Friday. Qualifying was not dominated solely by players who started well. Several main-draw places went to competitors capable of changing the match after falling behind.

Schoolkate Wins Friday’s Tightest Men’s Decider

Schoolkate defeated Liam Draxl 4-6, 7-5, 7-6(7) in one of the day’s longest and most fragile battles.

Draxl won the opening set and remained close to victory throughout the second. Schoolkate broke late to avoid a tiebreak, but the deciding set offered no similar separation.

The Australian eventually survived the final tiebreak 9-7. That margin captures the difference between qualifying and elimination more accurately than a broad assessment of either player’s week. Two points placed Schoolkate in the US Open main draw and ended Draxl’s tournament.

Friday’s Complete Men’s Qualifying Results

The following 11 men’s final-round matches were completed during Friday, August 28, in New York. Five other men, Coleman Wong, Toby Samuel, Grigor Dimitrov, Tomas Barrios Vera and Andrea Guerrieri, had already secured their places on Thursday before rain stopped play.

Friday qualifier	Opponent	Score
Nishesh Basavareddy	Arthur Gea	6-3, 6-1
Hugo Gaston	Colton Smith	1-6, 6-4, 6-2
Jurij Rodionov	Jacob Fearnley	4-6, 6-4, 6-4
Francesco Passaro	Shintaro Mochizuki	6-4, 6-2
Dalibor Svrcina	Mackenzie McDonald	4-6, 6-2, 7-5
Federico Cina	Buyunchaokete	3-6, 6-4, 7-5
Zsombor Piros	Christopher O’Connell	5-7, 7-6(3), retired
Harry Wendelken	Vilius Gaubas	6-7(3), 7-6(5), 7-6(5)
Lloyd Harris	Pablo Llamas Ruiz	7-6(3), 6-3
Rei Sakamoto	Kei Nishikori	6-4, 7-6(3)
Tristan Schoolkate	Liam Draxl	4-6, 7-5, 7-6(7)

The complete men’s qualifying results were confirmed through the ATP Tour’s official qualifying report.

American Debutants Kalieva and Stoiana Survive Three Sets

Elvina Kalieva and Mary Stoiana gave the home crowd two new players to support in the main draw, but neither received a straightforward final step.

Kalieva recovered from losing the first set to defeat Czech teenager Vendula Valdmannova 5-7, 6-4, 6-4. Stoiana overcame Yue Yuan 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.

Both Americans are 23, and both will make their Grand Slam main-draw debuts. Their victories also represented different forms of recovery. Kalieva had to change the match after falling behind, while Stoiana had to rebuild after losing control of a contest she had led by a set.

The draw now places Stoiana against No. 17 seed Alexandra Eala, while Kalieva faces Lanlana Tararudee. Those assignments are difficult, but qualifying has already removed the heaviest immediate pressure. Their New York appearances can no longer end without a place in the official 128-player field.

Anouk Koevermans Finishes the Tiebreak Rain Interrupted

Koevermans returned Friday in one of the strangest positions a player can face: leading 6-3, locked at 6-6 in the second set and level at 3-3 in the tiebreak.

She had held a 5-3 lead and missed two match points before Thursday’s rain stopped her match against Mariam Bolkvadze. The suspension gave Koevermans several hours to think about an advantage that had nearly disappeared.

Her response lasted only a handful of points. Two unreturned serves and an ace helped her complete a 6-3, 7-6(5) victory and reach her first Grand Slam main draw.

The result showed how a weather delay can either deepen regret or create a reset. Koevermans used it as the latter.

Storm Hunter Converts Doubles Pedigree Into a Singles Return

Former doubles world No. 1 Storm Hunter defeated No. 4 qualifying seed Darja Semenistaja 6-4, 6-1 to secure her third US Open singles main-draw appearance.

Hunter’s doubles record already gives her considerable Grand Slam experience, but singles qualifying demands a different kind of physical and tactical responsibility. She cannot rely on a partner to cover space, interrupt an opponent’s momentum or rescue a poor service game.

Friday’s performance required no such assistance. Hunter controlled the match in straight sets and earned a first-round meeting with No. 11 seed Marta Kostyuk.

Havlickova Returns to the Court Where Her Junior Run Ended

Lucie Havlickova defeated Nao Hibino 6-0, 6-4 to qualify for her first Grand Slam main draw.

The Czech player reached the US Open junior final in 2022 but left New York without the title. Four years later, she has returned with a senior breakthrough carrying greater long-term value.

Her opening set against Hibino was the most decisive produced by any of Friday’s women’s qualifiers. The second brought more resistance, but Havlickova prevented the match from developing into the kind of extended contest that could revive an experienced opponent.

Friday’s Complete Women’s Qualifying Results

Twelve women earned their main-draw places on Friday. Robin Montgomery, Lucrezia Stefanini, Polina Iatcenko and Gabriela Knutson had completed their qualifying campaigns on Thursday.

Friday qualifier	Opponent	Score
Zheng Qinwen	Elena Pridankina	6-4, 3-6, 6-0
Tamara Zidansek	Bianca Andreescu	2-6, 6-3, 6-4
Kristina Liutova	Martyna Kubka	6-4, 6-0
Anouk Koevermans	Mariam Bolkvadze	6-3, 7-6(5)
Elvina Kalieva	Vendula Valdmannova	5-7, 6-4, 6-4
Mary Stoiana	Yue Yuan	6-3, 4-6, 6-4
Storm Hunter	Darja Semenistaja	6-4, 6-1
Harriet Dart	Heather Watson	2-6, 6-4, 6-1
Lucie Havlickova	Nao Hibino	6-0, 6-4
Himeno Sakatsume	Mia Ristic	6-4, 6-3
Arantxa Rus	Susan Bandecchi	1-6, 6-3, 6-4
Francesca Jones	Joanna Garland	6-4, 6-1

The women’s scores and qualifying milestones were verified through the WTA Tour’s official Friday qualifying report and the official US Open report from New York.

Friday Completed the Main Draw, but It Also Changed It

Qualifiers are often discussed as additions made after the main draw’s central stories have already been established. Friday’s results do not fit that description.

Zheng is a former Top 5 player and two-time US Open quarterfinalist. Zidansek has reached a French Open semifinal. Hunter has been ranked No. 1 in doubles. Harris has previously reached the US Open quarterfinals. Gaston, McDonald’s conqueror Svrcina and other qualifiers bring established tour experience.

Liutova, Sakamoto, Cina, Koevermans, Kalieva, Stoiana and Havlickova bring something different. Their presence gives the tournament several players who have never experienced a Grand Slam main draw and therefore carry none of the scar tissue accumulated through previous early defeats.

The draw had already placed enormous attention on its leading contenders. Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka received difficult routes, while Venus Williams drew Sofia Kenin, as detailed in our complete US Open singles draw analysis. Friday added the names capable of turning those carefully mapped routes into something less predictable.

What Comes Next at the US Open?

Saturday, August 29, closes Fan Week and gives qualifiers one recovery day before the singles main draw begins Sunday.

The transition is demanding. Friday’s three-set winners have little time to recover physically, study new opponents and adjust emotionally from playing for entry into the tournament to competing inside it.

The leading contenders face a different challenge. Gauff arrives after winning Cincinnati, while Arthur Fils enters with his first Masters 1000 title and a career-high level of expectation. His rise and its impact on the men’s field are examined in The Sports Encounter’s Cincinnati-to-New York analysis.

Serena and Venus Williams also remain part of the tournament through their women’s doubles wildcard, following Serena’s mixed-doubles return with Alcaraz. The first stage of that comeback is covered in our report on Serena’s return to Arthur Ashe Stadium.

TSE Verdict: Friday Was the First Real Elimination Day

The main singles tournament had not begun, but Friday produced the consequences normally associated with the second week of a major.

Nishikori’s final US Open ambition ended against a younger Japanese player entering his first New York main draw. Andreescu moved within a few games of returning to the tournament she once won before physical trouble and Zidansek’s recovery took the opportunity away. Zheng absorbed a rain delay, a lost second set and the pressure of rebuilding her ranking before producing a 6-0 decider.

Liutova’s story pointed in the opposite direction. At 16, she completed her first Grand Slam qualifying campaign with a 36-4 season record, nine consecutive victories and the distinction of becoming the first 2010-born player in a major main draw.

Those outcomes explain why qualifying deserves to be treated as part of the US Open rather than a preliminary event sitting outside it. Friday did not simply fill 23 empty lines in the singles draws. It decided who would continue carrying a comeback, a farewell or a first opportunity into the tournament’s main stage.

New York now has its complete singles field.

The next time these players walk onto court, survival will require more than reaching the US Open. It will require winning inside it.

US Open August 28 FAQs

How many qualifying matches were completed at the US Open on Friday, August 28?

Twenty-three final-round qualifying matches were completed during the full Friday schedule in New York: 11 in the men’s competition and 12 in the women’s competition.

Did Zheng Qinwen qualify for the 2026 US Open main draw?

Yes. Zheng defeated Elena Pridankina 6-4, 3-6, 6-0 in a match completed over two days because of Thursday’s rain.

What happened to Bianca Andreescu?

Andreescu lost to Tamara Zidansek 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 after leading by a set and 3-1. She received treatment during the second set and appeared restricted in her movement afterward.

Did Kei Nishikori reach the US Open main draw?

No. Rei Sakamoto defeated Nishikori 6-4, 7-6(3), ending the former finalist’s final qualifying campaign in New York.

Who was the youngest player to qualify?

Kristina Liutova qualified at age 16 by defeating Martyna Kubka 6-4, 6-0. She became the first player born in 2010 to reach a Grand Slam main draw.

When does the 2026 US Open singles main draw begin?

The men’s and women’s singles main draws begin Sunday, August 30, at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

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The Sports Encounter’s US Open coverage follows qualifying, singles, doubles, player news, match analysis and the defining stories from Flushing Meadows.