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British qualifier Toby Samuel broke more new ground with a dominant victory over Tomas Machac on his US Open main-draw debut.<\/b><\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
“It means everything to me. It’s what I dreamt of as a kid watching these big tournaments,” Samuel told BBC Radio 5 Live. <\/p>\n
“Being able to win my first Grand Slam match is unbelievable.”<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
He now sits inside the top 100 in the live ATP rankings, along with earning $140,000 (\u00a3103,000) in prize money in the biggest payday of his career so far. <\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n