Kaśnikowski (194. ATP) was better in the quarterfinals than Emilio Nava (173. ATP), whom he defeated 6:2, 2:6, 6:2. In the semifinals he also managed and won against the higher-ranked Stefano Napolitano (136. ATP) 7:5, 6:4. This meant that the Polish tennis player was one step away from playing in the main round of the US Open. He only had to beat Antoine Escoffier (217. ATP).
The Pole won the US Open qualifying final. Will he face Hurkacz?
The 32-year-old Frenchman had big problems with Kaśnikowski from the start. The fourth game was crucial, in which the Pole managed to break his opponent. Then he increased the lead even more and it was already 4:1. Escoffier's situation became very difficult. He only put up the greatest resistance in the last, decisive game. It seemed that Kaśnikowski would win it quickly, but he was unable to use three set points in a row! At one point, Escoffier even had a break point, but he did not use this opportunity. Ultimately, the game, which from the Pole's perspective lasted definitely too long, ended in his victory. Kaśnikowski won the first set 6:3.
The second set also didn't start off well for Escoffier. The Frenchman lost his serve right away. The Pole, on the other hand, served very well, because at the beginning of the second set he didn't give his opponent a chance to score points. In the following games, both tennis players won in turns. At 5:3 it was clear that the Pole was already one step away from advancing. And then Kaśnikowski's nightmare began. First Escoffier won on his serve, and then he broke the Polish player without losing any points! Suddenly it was 5:6 and everything indicated that the third set would decide the outcome of the match. However, Kaśnikowski managed to force a tie-break.
In this match, the Pole played completely different. He suddenly regained his self-confidence, and Escoffier was losing point by point. At one point, the Frenchman was already losing 0:4! In the end, Kaśnikowski won the tie-break 7:2! This caused the most beautiful sensation – he qualified for the US Open!
Hubert Hurkacz already knows that in the next round he will play one of the qualifiers. Maybe it will be Maks Kaśnikowski? For the 21-year-old Pole, this will be his debut in the US Open.
This is not the end of excitement for Polish fans in the qualifications for this Grand Slam tournament. On Thursday evening, Kamil Majchrzak (169. ATP) will also play his match. His rival will be Mattia Belucci (102. ATP).