For the very first time in history, two Irishmen will contest the US Open proper. Conor Niland and Louk Sorensen have both qualified for the main draw.
It’s been somewhat of a fairytale season for Limerick man Niland having qualified and performed exemplary at Wimbledon earlier this summer – but now both he and Sorenson have set a new precedent by reaching the Grand Slam at Flushing Meadows.
The last time an Irishman competed in the US Open was in the 1980s when Matt Doyle made it into the tournament.
Niland, the top ranked Irish player, overcame his Dutch opponent Matwe Middelkoop in the final round of qualifying with a 2-6 6-1 6-4 win.
Meanwhile, fellow county man Sorensen qualified for his second ever Grand Slam – he made it into the 2011 Australia Open – by defeating the world’s 202nd-ranked player Martin Fischer of Austria in straight sets 7-6 (7/2) 6-1.
Sorensen is ranked 614th in the world and ridiculed the rankings on his way to qualification with victory over Portugal’s Gastao Elias.
Niland has been pitted against world No 1 seed Novak Djokovic in the first round while Sorensen will take on the No 6 seed Robin Soderling.
