British qualifier Toby Samuel broke more new ground with a dominant victory over Tomas Machac on his US Open main-draw debut.
The 23-year-old came from a set down in each of his three qualifying matches in New York this week to guarantee a third Grand Slam appearance of the year.
However, he had no such issues against former world number 20 Machac, wrapping up a 6-2 6-3 6-2 victory in just over 90 minutes to register his first win at a Grand Slam.
“It means everything to me. It’s what I dreamt of as a kid watching these big tournaments,” Samuel told BBC Radio 5 Live.
“Being able to win my first Grand Slam match is unbelievable.”
Just two years ago, Samuel fell to almost 2,000th in the world rankings as bone bruising in his right arm ruled him out of much of the 2024 season.
He now sits inside the top 100 in the live ATP rankings, along with earning $140,000 (£103,000) in prize money in the biggest payday of his career so far.
Samuel won 36 of 39 matches on the ATP Challenger Tour to return to the top 300 last year, but has reached new heights in 2026.
The Winchester native came through qualifying to make his Grand Slam debut at the French Open, having never previously contested a single match on the ATP Tour.
He continued that momentum with a run to the semi-finals at Eastbourne, a Wimbledon wildcard, and a third Challenger crown of the year on Winnipeg’s hard courts.
Samuel’s new ranking would secure automatic qualification for next January’s Australian Open, completing the set of major appearances a year after making his top-250 debut.
He is joined in the second round in New York by compatriot Katie Boulter, who battled past American wildcard Carol Young Suh Lee 6-4 3-6 6-0.
