NEW YORK — It’s still just Day 3 here at the US Open, so it’s best not to get too carried away thinking about the potentially bright future of American men’s tennis.
Check back next week and see how many Yanks are playing during the second week of the year’s final Grand Slam.
Remember, no American man has won a major title since Andy Roddick captured the Open back in 2003.
All that said, it’s been an exciting first couple of days for the American men.
As late afternoon turned to evening here Wednesday, Ryan Harrison, a 24-year-old qualifier from Austin, Texas, scored the biggest win of his career when he upset No. 5 Milos Raonic, 6-7 (4), 7-5, 7-5, 6-1 before a near capacity crowd on the intimate new Grandstand court. Harrison, who became the first qualifier to ever take out a top-5 seed at the Open, advanced to the third round against veteran Marcos Baghdatis.
Raonic, the Wimbledon runner-up who recently split with coach John McEnroe, could barely move by the end of the match because of cramping that required him to see the trainer three times for quad and wrist issues. “Numerous things,” Raonic said of his injuries.
“It’s a big win for me,” Harrison said on-court. “Milos is a really great player. He played fantastic at Wimbledon. It’s been a good summer for me leading up to the Open. I started to find some form and I’m just really excited to keep it going. I’m looking forward to Friday.”
He added: “It’s so special. This is the tournament you just dream of growing up. I’m excited to keep moving forward. Anything’s possible whenever I have you guys [the crowd] behind me.”
Ironically, during Wimbledon, when McEnroe was working with Raonic, he sang the praises of Canadian tennis.
“Who would have thought Canadian tennis would be ahead of American tennis?” McEnroe, a seven-time major winner, said then.
Raonic dismissed the divorce with McEnroe as a reason for his loss.
“I was able to put that aside,” he said.
Raonic was sure to credit Harrison for playing “well.”
“He stepped up and he got through those important moments,” Raonic said.
Harrison, who is engaged to Lauren McHale, the sister of New Jersey tennis star Christina McHale (who lost in straight sets earlier to 2015 runner-up Roberta Vinci), has enjoyed a family affair this week. His younger brother Christian Harrison was also in the main draw but lost in the first round to Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu.
“The coolest thing for me this year, me and my brother both played the main draw so as you can imagine as kids growing up playing each other, you always dream of playing in the Open and we both got to do it this year,” Ryan Harrison said. “It’s a really special year, I’ll never forget it.”
There will be at least three American men in the third round as No. 20 John Isner advanced earlier with a 6-3, 6-4, 6-7 (10), 6-3 win over Steve Darcis of Belgium. Isner, who took shots at San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick on Monday, gets Britain’s Kyle Edmund on Friday.
Isner was coming off a thrilling five-set win on Monday over American Taylor Fritz, an 18-year-old Californian making his first US Open appearance.
No. 26 Jack Sock, who also survived a five-setter, against 18-year American Frances Tiafoe on Monday, cruised into the third round with a 6-1, 6-1, 6-2 rout of Mischa Zverev of Germany.
“It’s cool,” Harrison said of his fellow Americans, noting that their lockers are all close together. “I think the winning does become contagious. It’s something where someone achieves something or someone that you’re close to has a big win. You think it’s a lot more achievable for you.
“I certainly have a big belief that we’re all able to continue winning. I don’t think that we’re done right now.”
On Thursday, Jared Donaldson of Providence, coming off an upset of No. 12 David Goffin, will face Viktor Troicki in a second-round match, while Donald Young gets No. 21 Ivo Karlovic of Croatia.
And under the lights of Arthur Ashe Stadium, No. 19 Steve Johnson will tangle with 2009 US Open champ Juan Martin del Potro, who received a wildcard.
Ironically, Johnson took a shot at del Potro before the tournament, saying “What if he does get a wild card and he plays me first round? You know what I mean? What if he wins? Or he plays Sam [Querrey] – anybody – and he beats an American?”
That could well happen, but for the moment, there are some very bright signs for American tennis.
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