Luca Van Assche led the French contingent in the opening round of US Open qualifying, defeating veteran player Pablo Cuevas with a dominant score of 6-2, 6-1. The 20-year-old Frenchman, who is 18 years younger than Cuevas, successfully converted five out of ten break points to secure his advancement. Van Assche is looking to improve on his previous performance at Flushing Meadows, where he made his main draw debut last year but exited in the first round. Currently ranked No. 111 in the PIF ATP Rankings, he is aiming to return to the Next Gen ATP Finals for the second consecutive year.
On the first day of qualifying, other French players also made their mark, with Richard Gasquet, Lucas Pouille, and Harold Mayot all progressing to the next round. Gasquet is vying for his 20th main draw appearance at the US Open, having previously reached the semi-finals in 2013. Pouille seeks to replicate his success from Wimbledon earlier this year, where he won all his qualifying matches. He will face Mayot, who is looking to qualify for the first time this year after unsuccessful attempts at both the Australian Open and Wimbledon.
Additionally, former US Open quarter-finalist Diego Schwartzman also advanced, winning his match against Andrea Pellegrino with a score of 7-5, 6-3. Schwartzman has announced his retirement plans for 2025, making this his last appearance at the US Open. He is set to face fellow Argentine Thiago Agustin Tirante in the next round.