Aleksandar Vukic’s US Open fight survives the rain, but the Australian now faces one final break-point-sized hurdle

Aleksandar Vukic dragged Rei Sakamoto into a deciding set after twice falling behind, only for rain to suspend their US Open opener at 4-3 in the fifth. The Australian returns on September 1 needing to overturn a break deficit to keep his campaign alive.

A comeback left unfinished Aleksandar Vukic’s US Open campaign has been reduced to the most unforgiving of margins: one break, one set and one restart after the weather intervened.

The Australian recovered from two sets down against Japan’s Rei Sakamoto on Monday, August 31, turning a match that appeared to be slipping away into a deciding-set contest. But just as the opening-round battle entered its final stretch, rain suspended play on the outside courts at Flushing Meadows.

Sakamoto led 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-4, 3-6, 4-3 when the players were taken off Court 7. The Japanese qualifier holds the advantage, but Vukic remains close enough to believe the match can still be pulled back when play resumes on Tuesday, September 1. (abc.net.au)

The shape of the fight The scoreline tells the story of a match that has repeatedly changed direction. Sakamoto took the first set and edged the third, but Vukic refused to let the contest become a straight-line march towards an upset. The 30-year-old levelled the match by taking the fourth set 6-3, forcing Sakamoto to confront the physical and emotional demands of a fifth set on his Grand Slam main-draw debut.

The available match figures underline how little separates them. Vukic had struck 20 aces to Sakamoto’s 36 and won 80 per cent of points behind his first serve, while the Japanese player had been more effective on second-serve returns. Vukic, however, had converted both of his break-point chances and saved five of eight against him — evidence of a match being decided in small, high-value exchanges rather than sustained control by either player. (tennis.com)

That makes the restart more than a simple continuation. Vukic is not merely trying to win three more games; he must first prevent Sakamoto from consolidating the break that currently separates them. The Australian’s best route back will likely come through the same first-strike tennis that has kept him competitive: protect the first serve, shorten points when the opportunity appears and make Sakamoto earn every second-serve look.

A dangerous opponent, not a soft landing Sakamoto arrived in the main draw with his own momentum. The 20-year-old came through qualifying without dropping a set in his final-round victory over former world No.4 Kei Nishikori, reaching his first US Open main draw and earning recognition as one of the tournament’s emerging Challenger-level prospects.

ATP Tour coverage has described Sakamoto as a hard-court player with a powerful game, while also placing him 10th in the PIF ATP Live Next Gen Race. His performance against Vukic has made that profile tangible: the qualifier has served heavily, held 22 of 24 service games and remained composed enough to move within sight of a first Grand Slam main-draw victory. (atptour.com)

For Vukic, the unfinished nature of the match carries a particular tension. His place in New York was meant to offer a winnable first step, but Sakamoto has turned the opener into a test of resilience and adjustment. There is no longer any value in the draw’s pre-match logic. The Australian must deal with the exact problem in front of him: a younger opponent serving for the biggest win of his career, with the match already deep into a fifth set.

The opportunity is still there Rain has denied both players a clean ending, but it has not removed Vukic’s chance. He has already done the hardest part of a comeback by surviving the fourth-set pressure and forcing the decider. The next task is narrower and more immediate: find a way to break back before Sakamoto can turn his advantage into match point.

That uncertainty is what makes Tuesday’s resumption meaningful for Vukic. A loss would leave him with the frustration of having recovered from two sets down without completing the escape. A win would transform the same sequence into one of the more durable fightbacks of his season — a victory built not on a fast start, but on refusing to let the match end when it first seemed beyond him.

Sources Rain suspends play at US Open, Taylah Preston advances to second round - ABC News Aleksandar Vukic vs Rei Sakamoto · Round 1 · US Open | Tennis.com Who qualified for the US Open? | ATP Tour | Tennis Rain suspends play at US Open, Taylah Preston advances to second round Sunday's play on outer courts at US Open suspended due to rain Aleksandar Vukic vs Rei Sakamoto — US Open Round 1 match statistics Who qualified for the US Open? US Open: Five Challenger players to watch