Young Aussie shocks tennis world with major US Open upset

This time last year Jason Kubler was ranked 945th in the world after six knee surgeries.

On Tuesday morning (AEST) he pulled off his maiden win at a grand slam by beating the 19th seed.

The Australian wildcard continued his stunning return from the tennis wilderness with a watershed first-round US Open win over Spanish star Roberta Bautista-Agut.

In a memorable main-draw debut for the former teenage prodigy, Kubler defied searing heat to sweep past the 19th seed 6-3 6-3 6-4 in two hours and seven minutes.

“It was unreal. It’s the biggest win of my career,” Kubler said after sealing victory with a signature backhand pass down the line.

“It’s crazy to think just how far it’s been in just under 12 months.”

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This time last year, Kubler’s career appeared over after medical advice to only ever play on clay courts.

But after cracking the top 100 for the first time last month, the Queenslander is now also savouring his maiden victory at a major.

Kubler missed eight years of grand slam action before being granted an Australian Open wildcard in January and then successfully qualifying at Wimbledon.

Kubler’s reward for his latest milestone moment is a second-round clash on Wednesday with 20-year-old American Taylor Fritz, a five-set comeback winner of Mischa Zverev.

Finally feeling injury free, Kubler is confident his battered body can handle the physical grind of back-to-back grand slam matches for the first time.

“That’s probably the best best-of-five-setter I’ve had,” he said.

“I’ve only had three or four of them before, but each of them I was cramping or I was pretty tired.

“But that one was pretty good and now I get the day off. I think I’ll be be fine.”

Aussie girls go through but men bow out

Daria Gavrilova has delivered a US Open statement of intent to continue Australia’s promising start to the final grand slam event of the year.

A near-flawless Gavrilova crushed Sara Sorribes Tormo 6-0 6-0 in just 51 minutes to join Ashleigh Barty and Kubler in the second round.

Gavrilova’s rare double-bagel victory vaulted the 25th seed into a potential showdown on Wednesday with two-time Australian Open champion and former world No.1 Victoria Azarenka.

The 2010 US Open junior champion arrived at Flushing Meadows frustrated at having won just one match in six subsequent appearances in the women’s draw.

And it was obvious from the outset Gavrilova was on a mission.

The 24-year-old conceded just 12 points in the opening set and was even more ruthless in the second, dropping a meagre four points to clinch the most one-sided victory of her grand slam career.

Barty earlier thumped Tunisian qualifier Ons Jabeur 6-1 6-3 in an equally impressive performance in sweltering day-one heat.

But James Duckworth and Jordan Thompson bowed out with gallant first-round defeats.

Duckworth stretched Andy Murray to four sets only to fall 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 7-5 6-3 to the former world No.1 and 2012 champion while Thompson lost to Brit Cameron Norrie 7-5 4-6 6-4 6-3.

with AAP