Dane Sweeny's US Open Journey Ends in Disappointment

Dane Sweeny’s US Open ride ended with a grimace rather than a roar, his breakthrough week in New York halted by a sore hip and the heavy hand of Luciano Darderi.

The 21st-seeded Italian, all clean ball-striking and controlled aggression, swept past the Australian 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 in the third round, shutting the door on the last remaining singles hope from Australia and ensuring the country will miss the second week at Flushing Meadows for the first time in five years.

Sweeny, taped up and clearly hampered, never quite found the timing that had carried him through the early rounds. The world number 123 tugged at his hip, searched for rhythm, and kept coming up with errors he knew he shouldn’t be making.

"It's been an amazing week, a career-changing week, but I can't help but feel a bit disappointed just with today's performance," he admitted. He spoke like a man who understood what he’d achieved, but couldn’t shake what had slipped away. "I just wasn't really feeling it, just not really feeling the timing and the rhythm as I have been. I just made a lot of cheap errors and that was quite frustrating."

The context made the defeat sting even more. With Alex de Minaur stunned in the second round by Botic van de Zandschulp, Sweeny had been the last Australian standing, the unlikely standard-bearer in a draw that had not been kind to his compatriots. He wanted to go down swinging. Instead, he felt he never truly got into the fight.

"I was OK to lose a match, but I really wanted to test him more and bring a good level so I could make an absolute fight out of it," he said. "Win or lose, I wanted to really make him work for the victory at least and I wasn't able to do that."

That honesty frames what this fortnight really was for him: a door kicked open almost by accident, then walked through with conviction. Sweeny only made the main draw thanks to two late withdrawals, which allowed Tennis Australia to re-route a reciprocal wildcard initially earmarked for Alexei Popyrin. From the outside, it looked like a lucky break. He turned it into something far bigger.

On his US Open main-draw debut, the 25-year-old Queenslander surged into the last 32 of a major for the first time. He leaves with a cheque for $402,500 and, just as valuable in the long run, a fresh career-high ranking.

"The financial side of things, that will help with coaching and people you travel with," he said, fully aware of what that money means to someone grinding on the fringes of the tour. He is projected to climb to number 109 in the world, on the brink of the top 100 that changes a career: direct entries, better schedules, less scrambling for qualifying spots.

If he can crack that barrier by season’s end, he’ll earn direct entry into the Australian Open main draw for the first time. For a player who has spent years on the outside looking in, that target is as clear as it is tempting.

"That's exciting too. But that will take care of itself," Sweeny said, catching himself before the ranking chase runs away with his thoughts. "It's hard not to worry about that because we're indoctrinated to want that low number next to our name, but I can just focus on working hard, focus on improving. Particularly just staying really kind to myself and trying to enjoy the journey."

The journey, for now, leaves New York with a limp and a lingering frustration. But it also leaves with something far more dangerous for the rest of the tour: a player who now knows he belongs on this stage.

American hopes rocked on bruising day

While Sweeny bowed out, the home fans suffered a gut-punch of their own. On a bruising day for the stars draped in red, white and blue, three past US Open finalists fell in the third round and the host nation’s title hopes took a heavy hit.

Taylor Fritz, the ninth seed and 2024 runner-up, had been cruising through the draw without dropping a set. For two sets against Francisco Cerundolo, nothing changed. He looked locked in, businesslike, on course for another routine win.

Then the match turned.

Cerundolo caught fire, his forehand suddenly ripping through the court, his belief rising with every hold. He clawed back the third set, then the fourth, and the pressure that had never really touched Fritz all week finally closed in. The Argentine completed a stunning 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 comeback to reach the fourth round of a major for the first time, handing Fritz his earliest exit in New York in four years.

The American women fared no better.

Madison Keys, the 2017 runner-up, looked to be strolling into the last 16 when she raced to a 6-1, 5-0 lead over Zheng Qinwen in the deciding set. The stadium was already half-thinking about her next opponent. Then the match unraveled in a way that will haunt Keys and define Zheng’s revival.

Zheng, who has been battling a career slump, refused to fold. Point by point, game by game, she dragged herself back into the contest, saving pride first, then the match. Keys tightened. Zheng soared. The Chinese star completed an astonishing turnaround, winning 1-6, 7-6 (7/3), 7-5, and collapsed on the court in disbelief and joy.

Her reward is brutal and brilliant: a showdown with 2022 champion and former world number one Iga Świątek, who edged past Marie Bouzková 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/3) in a tight, nervy contest that never quite broke open but always felt like Świątek’s to control.

For Amanda Anisimova, the slide continued. The 10th seed and last year’s runner-up could not shake off a difficult season at the majors, falling 6-2, 7-5 to Anastasia Potapova. It was another early blow in a year that has asked more questions than it has answered about her trajectory.

Only Coco Gauff held the line.

The defending champion, still just 20 but already the face of American tennis, brought a measure of calm to a chaotic day. She handled Spain’s Cristina Bucșa 6-3, 6-4, a straight-sets win that never quite sparkled but never truly wobbled either. On a day when big names faltered, Gauff’s composure stood out.

Sweeny leaves with new belief. The Americans leave with more doubts than they expected. The tournament rolls on, a little lighter on home favourites, a little heavier with the sense that this US Open is ready to tilt in unexpected directions.