US Open 2025: Van Assche, Serene, Eliminates Lajovic in First Round of Qualifying

This Tuesday, the first round of the US Open 2025 qualifying continued. Having dropped to 207th in the world, Luca Van Assche was handed a tricky draw in the form of Dusan Lajovic.

The 35-year-old Serbian is a former top 30 player but has fallen out of the top 100. Winner of a Challenger on clay in early August, the 2019 Monte-Carlo tournament finalist was looking to confirm his form with the qualifying rounds in New York.

But Lajovic proved too inconsistent in this match. With 18 winners (compared to 11 for the Frenchman) but 33 unforced errors in 1 hour and 8 minutes of play, he conceded his serve four times.

Ultimately, Van Assche qualified in two sets (6-3, 6-1) and advances to the second round of qualifying, where he will face Chinese player Wu Yibing, who on his side defeated Juan Pablo Ficovich (6-3, 6-3).

The 21-year-old player is now just two wins away from the main draw and hopes to take part in his first Grand Slam main draw since Wimbledon 2024. Defeated in the second round of qualifying at last year's US Open and absent from the Australian Open at the start of the season, he also failed to clear this hurdle at Roland-Garros and Wimbledon in recent weeks.