US Open 2023: Taylah Preston Exits, Kasatkina's Gritty Battle

Taylah Preston’s bright US Open run ended with a jolt on day four, swallowed up in 48 ruthless minutes by an uncompromising Taylor Townsend.

The 20-year-old Australian wildcard, the first of her country’s women to reach the second round in New York this year, was also the first to leave it, out-hit and outpaced 6-1, 6-1 by the big-serving American. Townsend took control from the opening game and never loosened her grip, tearing through the contest with a flurry of first-strike winners that left Preston little room to breathe, let alone build a foothold.

There was no slow burn, no late surge. Just a harsh lesson at Grand Slam speed.

Kasatkina dragged to the brink – twice

If Preston’s exit was swift, Daria Kasatkina’s was a slow, torturous unravelling.

Australia’s top-ranked woman had already spent a day living on the edge against Paula Badosa, their first-round clash repeatedly splintered by rain and tension. When play first stopped on Tuesday morning (AEST), Kasatkina trailed 6-1, 1-2 and had just saved a third match point. Officials halted proceedings on the spot. Kasatkina left the court relieved. Badosa left it seething.

The Spaniard, once ranked world No.2, slept on that frustration and returned some 15 hours later needing only to serve out the match at 5-4, deuce in the second set.

It was anything but straightforward.

Kasatkina had already clawed back from the brink in an extraordinary 22-point game serving at 3-5, where she erased two match points with the kind of scrambling defence and disguised spin that have long been her trademarks. She then fended off six more match points as the second set twisted into a test of nerve as much as skill.

The pressure kept building. Kasatkina even carved out two break points to drag the set level at 5-5, threatening to flip a match she had spent almost entirely in survival mode. Badosa finally slammed the door, holding firm to close out the contest and seal a second-round showdown with defending champion Coco Gauff.

For Kasatkina, it was a gritty, almost defiant exit. But an exit all the same.

Joint and Birrell eye their chance

Attention now turns to the remaining Australian women still standing in the draw.

Maya Joint steps into the spotlight this morning against ninth seed Elina Svitolina, chasing a place in the third round in New York for a third consecutive year. The task is steep: Svitolina’s court craft and experience in the big moments rarely give away cheap opportunities. Joint, though, has shown she can live with top-tier pace and will know that a fast start could drag the Ukrainian out of her comfort zone.

Kim Birrell faces her own towering assignment against Russian 18th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova. The Australian arrives with genuine belief, armed with the memory of her upset win over world No.5 and 2024 US Open finalist Jessica Pegula at Roland-Garros. That result has shifted how she sees these matches. Alexandrova’s flat, penetrating game can run through opponents in a hurry, but Birrell has already proved this year that ranking and reputation don’t scare her.

De Minaur races the rain – and wins

On the men’s side, Alex de Minaur’s campaign finally flickered into life after days of waiting, watching, and drying courts.

New York’s grim weather had already pushed his first-round match to the margins of the schedule. By the time the top-ranked Australian walked onto court for the first time, former champion Daniil Medvedev and American prospect Alex Michelsen were already in the third round.

De Minaur responded like a man tired of sitting still.

He tore into Italian qualifier Andrea Guerrieri, sprinting to a 6-2, 4-2 lead in just 49 minutes. The Australian’s trademark intensity set the tone: sharp returns, relentless footwork, and an eagerness to step inside the baseline at every opportunity. Guerrieri barely had time to settle before the sky intervened again, rain sending de Minaur scurrying back to the locker room mid-momentum.

The delay changed nothing.

When play resumed, de Minaur picked up exactly where he had left off, closing out a commanding 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 victory. The scoreline matched the performance: brisk, businesslike, and largely untroubled.

The weather has already toyed with his schedule. Now comes the real question: will it be the only thing that slows him down in New York?