Diminutive wildcard and qualifier fly the flag for Australia in New York.
Australian qualifier Tristan Schoolkate and wildcard Dane Sweeny have charged into the US Open second round, delivering a stirring start for the green and gold at Flushing Meadows.
Sweeny was leading France’s Corentin Moutet 7-6(4), 6-4, 3-0 when the Frenchman retired injured on Tuesday, marking the 25-year-old’s first-ever victory at an overseas grand slam.
Schoolkate then battled past American qualifier Nishesh Basavareddy in a three-hour marathon, celebrating with a Lleyton Hewitt-style flourish.
The duo join at least seven Australians in round two, including Taylah Preston, Kim Birrell, Maya Joint, Alexei Popyrin and James Duckworth.
World number seven Alex de Minaur and Daria Kasatkina aim to expand that number in their opening matches on day three.
Meanwhile, Thanasi Kokkinakis’s cursed injury run continued as the 30-year-old withdrew before his first-round clash with Rafael Jodar due to an ankle sprain sustained in Cincinnati.
The veteran admitted he may have played his last US Open, telling AAP he’s “sick of going into tournaments not feeling like I can do it physically.”
