Storm Hunter survives the danger zone and moves within one win of the US Open main draw

Storm Hunter has turned a precarious second-round position into a live US Open singles opportunity, recovering from a set down and saving two match points before dismantling Yeon Woo Ku in New York.

Hunter refuses to let the second chance disappear Storm Hunter’s singles comeback at the US Open is now one match from a very different conclusion. The Australian fought back from a set down to defeat South Korea’s Yeon Woo Ku 4-6, 7-6(6), 6-0 in the second round of qualifying on Wednesday, August 26, securing a place in the final qualifying round. (wtatennis.com)

The scoreline captures the turnaround, but not the precarious point at which Hunter’s campaign might have ended. According to the WTA’s tournament report, the 32-year-old saved two match points late in the second set before edging the tiebreak 8-6. She then converted the momentum immediately, closing out the deciding set without dropping a game. (wtatennis.com)

That sequence makes this more than a routine qualifying win. Hunter had already negotiated an all-Australian opening-round test against Maddison Inglis, and the Ku match demanded another form of resilience: not just managing a difficult opponent, but staying composed when the qualifying draw was one point from closing around her.

The final-round assignment is a substantial one Hunter’s reward is a final-round meeting with fourth seed Darja Semenistaja. The Latvian, listed as the world No.109 by The Queenslander, reached the final round with a 7-6(5), 6-4 victory over Alexandra Shubladze. (wtatennis.com)

The matchup therefore presents a materially tougher test than simply being one win away suggests. Semenistaja is seeded to progress and brings a higher ranking into the contest, while Hunter arrives having spent more than two hours recovering from a lost opening set and a second-set tiebreak that went to the wire. The available match reporting confirms the result and the draw, but does not yet establish how Hunter’s physical condition will carry into the final round, so any claim of a broader injury or workload issue would be premature.

What is confirmed is the tactical value of the comeback. Hunter did not merely survive the second set before scraping through a deciding breaker; she followed the escape with a decisive six-game run. That points to an important shift in match control. Once the Australian had levelled, Ku was unable to regain scoreboard pressure, and Hunter converted the psychological advantage into a clean finish.

A singles opportunity built on doubles authority The significance of the run sits partly in the contrast between Hunter’s established doubles stature and the rebuilding required in singles. The WTA describes her as a former world No.1 in doubles and a US Open doubles champion, while current player data places her singles ranking at No.169 and her doubles ranking at No.18. (wtatennis.com)

That profile gives this qualifying campaign a sharper edge. Hunter is not attempting to establish herself as a professional tennis player; she is trying to restore singles relevance while remaining one of the sport’s most accomplished doubles competitors. The two disciplines reward different patterns of play and different forms of consistency. Doubles allows her anticipation, left-handed serve and first-volley instincts to have immediate impact. Singles demands that those tools hold up over longer exchanges and across a larger court.

Her victory over Ku does not prove that a full singles resurgence is underway. It does, however, provide a verified and timely marker: Hunter has won two qualifying matches, recovered from a match-point deficit, and placed herself in position to earn a US Open main-draw return with one more victory.

The opportunity is immediate, not theoretical Hunter’s final-round match against Semenistaja is the next meaningful test. Victory would move her from a promising qualifying run into the US Open singles field; defeat would still leave the comeback with a notable recovery win, but no main-draw berth.

For now, the most important development is the way Hunter kept the campaign alive. The first set belonged to Ku. The second appeared close to doing the same. Hunter’s response was to save the set, take the tiebreak and then impose a 6-0 finish. That is the clearest evidence yet that her singles second chance in New York has become a genuine opportunity rather than a nostalgic return to a familiar stage.

Sources Zheng, Andreescu, Montgomery roll into final US Open qualifying round Zheng, Andreescu, Montgomery roll into final US Open qualifying round Final frontier for Aussie trio in US Open qualifying Yeon Woo Ku vs Storm Hunter — US Open qualifying results and rankings