Return to Form: US Open Qualies Deliver Grit, Drama, and Rising Stars

Following a 2-day period where the Qualifying rounds of the US Open were somewhat swept aside by a star studded lineup competing for the Mixe Doubles Title, the 2025 tournament was back on track on Thursday. While there are some admirable goals which the USTA hopes to achieve via the change in format for mixed doubles, the overall impression is that what was presented was fun, but not very filling; it just did not add up to what should be expected for a Grand Slam title. Some who read this probably recall reading abbreviated versions of classic novels, and that's kind of what this amounted to: A Cliff notes version of a Grand Slam event, without the detail or nuance of the original. Returning to the Qualies....

Among the things that really come into focus when going from match to match at an event such as this is the incredible amount of effort that it takes to compete at this level. In some players, that kind of thing is apparent on it's face. Take Rafael Nadal for example, who even when you watched from the furthest seat in the stadium, you could tell he was putting his entire life into every single shot he took. It turns out that while he was without doubt a unique and special talent, the kind of effort Nadal put in is not so unique. It's just easier to see in some players.

One such player is American Claire Liu, who moved on to the third and final round of qualifications with a 6-3, 7-5 triumph over Australian Maddison Inglis. While we cannot put a finger on a single trait that conveys a player's effort, it is probably helpful to be able to see their facial expressions. Being airborne and throwing the body into many shots does tend to illustrate a high level of commitment. Take a look at the photos of Liu included here, and the effort is apparent. And... it is really an impressive thing to witness when it happens on every shot over a 90-minutes-plus performance.

Claire Liu en route to a win in 2nd round Qualies. You can really see the determination and effort she gives in Every part of Every shot.

Other Americans who made it into the third round of qualification are Hina Inoue, who came away with a very solid straight set win over currently ranked #127 Simona Waltert from Switzerland, 6-3, 6-2.

Hina Inoue giving the mandatory fist pump to her entourage after taking the first set of her match.

Among the pleasures of attending the Open during qualies or first week of the tournament is that there is action going on all over the place, and hearing loud cheers coming from court 10 had us take a closer look at the action there. Not too surprisingly, the match being played featured Mexican Rodrigo Pachero Mendez, ranked #226, vs. Italy's Fancesco Passaro, the current #121. We say it was not too surprising because when you have this kind of match, it seems that every one in the NYC area who has Mexican routes will be there for Mendez, and those with Italian heritage seem to show up for Passaro. After every point, one faction or the other will burst out in a cheer, and there is constant encouragement in other languages being given. After dropping the first set, Passaro came away with a very hard fought victory 4-6, 7-6 (7-2), 6-4. But Mendez provided a lasting impression. At only 20 years old, his movement on the court was very smooth, and in particular, he possesses an extremely fluid service motion. He is someone we will look for in the future.

Italy's Fracesco Passaro displays a good approach for getting a win.

While going down in defeat, 20 year old Pachero Mendez showed great form.

One American who did not fare as well in second round play was Patrick Maloney, who came out of on the short end vs. Danial Galan of Columbia. Galan who is presently ranked #132 had a fairly routine time in taking the match 6-4, 6-2. Only a day before, Maloney had looked impressive in getting through the first round. Though he did not make it into the third round, he at least had the experience of playing in one of the bigger stadiums to a bigger crown on Court 17.

After the thrill of victory in round 1, Patrick Maloney experiences the agony of defeat only a day later in round 2.

Much more to come from the 2025 US Open. Hey, the actual tournament hasn't even begun yet !!!

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Written by Florida Tennis contributor Todd Pechter. Photo credits: pechterphotos.com.