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Heather Watson and several British players advance in US Open qualifying

Multiple British singles players progressed in New York, while Henry Patten and Lloyd Glasspool qualified for high-profile mixed doubles matches.

Updated Aug 25, 2026 · 00:18 UTC1 reports

The short version

Heather Watson rallied from a set down to defeat Claire Liu, reaching the second round of US Open singles qualifying.
British men Toby Samuel, Jacob Fearnley, Billy Harris, and Harry Wendelken also advanced, while Liam Broady and Felix Gill were eliminated.
Henry Patten and Lloyd Glasspool qualified for the mixed doubles main draw, setting up matchups against star-studded pairs including Novak Djokovic with Aryna Sabalenka and Serena Williams with Carlos Alcaraz.
Brazilian world number 26 Joao Fonseca withdrew from the US Open due to an ongoing abdominal injury.

Heather Watson defeated sixth seed Claire Liu 4-6 6-2 6-4 to advance to the second round of US Open qualifying.[BBC News]
Toby Samuel, Jacob Fearnley, Billy Harris, and Harry Wendelken won their opening qualifying matches, while Liam Broady and Felix Gill lost.[BBC News]
Joao Fonseca pulled out of the US Open to continue recovering from an abdominal injury.[BBC News]
Henry Patten and partner Katerina Siniakova qualified for the mixed doubles main draw to face Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka.[BBC News]
Lloyd Glasspool and partner Erin Routliffe won two qualifying matches and will play Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz in the mixed doubles main draw.[BBC News]