Novak challenge Aussie gun can’t shake

Alexei Popyrin says he’s “not thinking about” a possible third round showdown with Novak Djokovic as Australia’s newest top 30 player cruised through his opening round encounter at the US Open.

New Australian Maya Joint was also among the winners, with a massive 20 Aussies in the main draw at Flushing Meadows with Ajla Tomljanovic continuing to plot her path back the top 50 with an straight-sets opening round win over American qualifier Ann Li.

Rinky Hijikata then made it four wins from seven Aussies in action on the opening day with a four-set win over world No.59 Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, a year after making the fourth round of the event as a wildcard.

Handed the 28th seed om the back of his win at the Montreal Open, Popyrin blasted 14 aces and lost only three of his 37 first-serve points as he dispatched South Korean Soonwoo Kwon 7-5, 6-2, 6-3 to reach the second round.

Popyrin must now beat Spaniard Pedro Martinez before a likely clash with Djokovic, whom he took a set off at both the Australian Open and Wimbledon in grand slam clashes this year.

“I feel like I’ve had a lot of scenarios in my career where I had one more match, and then I would play a big match, so I’ve kind of gotten used to focusing on the match that I’ve got in hand,” Popyrin said.

“And then if I win that, then, yeah, obviously I’ve got Novak in the third. But, honestly, I’m just thinking of this match and not thinking about Novak.”

Joint, who is only 18 and making her grand slam main-draw debut as an Australian having grown up in the US with her Aussie father and switched allegiances last May, took down experienced German Laura Siegemund 6-4 7-5 to more than double her career on-court earnings in a single day.

She overcame some second-set nerves, letting a 5-0 lead and one match point slip at 4-5 on Siegemund’s serve before taking the win, ensuring she’ll collect at least $192,000 by making the second round.

“It’s incredible. I didn’t expect to come this far, I’m lost for words,” Joint told Stan Sport after the match.

“I don’t know what to say, it feels great.”

“I got very nervous. I felt like my feet weren’t working. I felt like my legs were full of sand.

Tomljanovic made the US Open quarter-finals in 2022, ending Serena Williams’ career in a third-round blockbuster which broke ESPN viewership records, won in the first round last year and did so again having overcome serious injuries to get back on court.

“This feels like it’s the semis, honestly, for me,” Tomljanovic.

“It’s really nice when a first round means this much. I think coming in, it really meant a lot to pass the first round.

“It’s hard to sometimes explain what’s going on internally, but today, it really was gutsy. And I’m just proud that, even not feeling my best, I managed to just put it together for two sets.”

Another of Australia’s record six women’s qualifiers, Kim Birrell, bowed out with a 6-4 6-4 loss to Paris Olympics silver medallist Donna Vekic, the 24th seed, picking up

$147,575, the biggest prize in tennis history for a first-round loser at a major.

Priscilla Hon and Adam Walton also losing reducing the large Aussie contingent to 17.