Aleksandar Vukic’s five-set US Open fight shows the margins now separating opportunity from progress

Aleksandar Vukic pushed Rei Sakamoto through nearly three and a half hours at Flushing Meadows, but the Australian’s first-round defeat underlined how much harder major chances are becoming to convert.

A contest decided by persistence Aleksandar Vukic did not leave the US Open quietly. Against Rei Sakamoto, a 20-year-old Japanese qualifier rising rapidly through the professional ranks, Vukic absorbed the swings of a contest that repeatedly threatened to run away from him before forcing it into a deciding set.

The Australian lost 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 on Tuesday, September 1, in a match lasting close to three and a half hours. It was a defeat, but not a passive one: Vukic recovered twice from a set down, kept the contest alive through its momentum changes and made Sakamoto work for his first Grand Slam main-draw victory. (usopen.org)

The opponent was no longer just a qualifier The context matters. Sakamoto arrived in New York having qualified by defeating Kei Nishikori in the final round, then carried that confidence into the main draw. ATP Tour reporting had listed him among the tournament’s Challenger-level players to watch, while the US Open identified him as fourth in the PIF ATP Live Next Gen Race. His victory over Vukic confirmed that this was not a conventional first-round meeting with an opponent merely happy to be there. (atptour.com)

Sakamoto’s numbers made the problem especially clear. He struck 38 aces and produced 76 winners, giving Vukic a difficult combination to solve: a large, hard-court player capable of shortening points, but also physically prepared to sustain the demands of five sets. The Japanese player had specifically worked on his physical and mental readiness after an earlier Grand Slam defeat, and that preparation showed when the match reached its most exposed moments. (usopen.org)

What Vukic’s fight reveals For Vukic, the significance lies less in the loss itself than in the standard required to turn an opening into a result. He was ranked No. 95 in the latest Australian Open player profile update before the tournament, a position that reflects his established place in the main draw rather than the uncertainty of qualifying. But the match demonstrated that direct entry no longer guarantees a manageable path. The next wave is arriving with the weapons, belief and conditioning to make even experienced major competitors earn every passage. (ausopen.com)

Vukic’s response remains encouraging. He did not allow the second-set comeback to become a brief interruption before Sakamoto reclaimed control; instead, he found another level in the fourth set and forced the match into a final examination of nerve and execution. That resistance is important for a player whose best tennis has long been tied to first-strike intent, particularly on faster courts where serve and forehand pressure can create short, decisive exchanges.

Yet the deciding set also sharpened the question around his current development. Against a younger opponent with elite serving numbers and a growing appetite for major stages, Vukic needed to turn his competitive resilience into scoreboard control. The opportunity was there across a long, momentum-heavy afternoon. Sakamoto simply managed the crucial moments more cleanly.

A costly lesson, not a dead end The result leaves Vukic without the second-round run he wanted, but it does not erase the value of the performance. He showed the durability to stay in a match that repeatedly shifted away from him and the resolve to keep asking questions after falling behind. The next step is more exacting: converting those periods of resistance into earlier scoreboard pressure, especially before an opponent’s confidence and physical rhythm become established.

That is the modern major-stage challenge Vukic now faces. The opportunities remain real, but the margin between taking one and merely surviving it is narrowing. Against Sakamoto, the Australian found enough level to make a contest of it. To make the next opportunity count, he will need enough extra precision to ensure the fight ends with him still standing.

Sources Who is Rei Sakamoto? Japanese phenom faces Frances Tiafoe at US Open | Official Site of the 2026 US Open Tennis Championships - A USTA Event Who qualified for the US Open? | ATP Tour | Tennis Aleksandar Vukic [AUS] | AO Who is Rei Sakamoto? Japanese phenom faces Frances Tiafoe at US Open Frances Tiafoe topples Martin Damm in five-set US Open thriller US Open: Five Challenger players to watch Who qualified for the US Open? Aleksandar Vukic player profile