US Open 2026: Gea and Gaston the last Frenchmen standing in qualifying

Rain interrupted the final qualifying round at Flushing Meadows on Thursday, pushing it back to Friday 28 August. The last two Frenchmen standing, Arthur Gea and Hugo Gaston, play for their main-draw place there. Grigor Dimitrov is already through.

How does qualifying work?

128 players compete over three rounds, from Monday 24 August to Thursday 27 August, for one of 16 places in the main draw. Each match is best of three sets on hard courts. Qualifying is free for spectators, making it one of the best-value weeks on tour.

The headline acts

Kei Nishikori (Japan, 36) showed he still has plenty left in the tank. The 2014 finalist, 2016 and 2018 semifinalist — playing his final US Open before retiring at the end of the season — beat 16th seed Sebastian Ofner of Austria in three sets (6-1, 2-6, 6-2). A gritty win for a player who hadn't competed at a Grand Slam since 2021.

Grigor Dimitrov (Bulgaria, 25th seed), the former world No. 3 and 2019 semifinalist in New York, looked sharp against Italy's Lorenzo Giustino (6-0, 6-3). The Bulgarian, who knocked Roger Federer out in five sets on that 2019 run — the biggest upset of his career — appears determined to make another charge.

Day 1 — Monday 24 August

Wins:

Luka Pavlovic battled past Peru's Juan Pablo Varillas in a thriller (6-3, 6-7, 7-5), capping it with a "hot shot" that went viral.
Kyrian Jacquet (10th seed) did the job against Argentina's Lautaro Midon (6-4, 6-3).
Alexandre Muller (23rd seed) dispatched Serbia's Laslo Djere with authority (7-5, 6-0).

Losses:

Titouan Droguet (5th seed) was upset by Spain's Daniel Rincon (6-2, 4-6, 6-7) after cracking in the decisive tie-break.
Ugo Blanchet fell to Finland's Otto Virtanen (9th seed) in straight sets (4-6, 4-6).

Day 2 — Tuesday 25 August

Wins:

Arthur Gea (1st seed), who won his first ATP title in Los Cabos in early August against Denis Shapovalov, saw off India's Sumit Nagal (6-3, 7-6).
Hugo Gaston (3rd seed) saw off Argentina's Guido Ivan Justo (7-5, 6-3).
Clement Chidekh cruised past Argentina's Federico Coria (6-2, 6-2).

Losses:

Moise Kouame (17, France's top young hope) fell to American Nishesh Basavareddy (6-7, 6-4, 3-6).
Dan Added was swept by Switzerland's Jerome Kym (0-6, 3-6).
Belgium's Gilles-Arnaud Bailly lost to Kazakhstan's Timofey Skatov (4-6, 2-6).

Standing after two days

Six Frenchmen remain in contention: Gea, Gaston, Jacquet, Muller, Pavlovic and Chidekh. Four are already out: Droguet, Blanchet, Kouame and Added.

Among other nations, Nishikori and Dimitrov have confirmed their status as qualifying favourites.

Day 3 — Wednesday 26 August

Wins:

Arthur Gea (1st seed) sees off Clement Chidekh in 2h45, in the all-French tie everyone had circled (6-4, 6-7, 6-2).
Hugo Gaston (3rd seed) drops only four games against American Andre Ilagan (6-1, 6-3).

Exits:

Luka Pavlovic goes down to Britain's Jacob Fearnley (4th seed) in three sets (4-6, 7-6, 4-6).
Kyrian Jacquet (10th seed) loses to Tunisia's Aziz Dougaz (4-6, 6-4, 4-6).
Alexandre Muller (23rd seed) falls to Japan's Rei Sakamoto (3-6, 3-6).

Both headline acts go through as well: Kei Nishikori brushes aside American Michael Antonius, twenty years his junior (6-4, 6-4), and Grigor Dimitrov gets past Kazakhstan's Timofey Skatov (7-6, 6-4).

In the women's draw, Clara Burel, a first-round winner over China's Ye-Xin Ma (6-4, 6-2), falls to Zheng Qinwen, the 2024 Olympic champion and Australian Open runner-up that same year (1-6, 5-7, in 1h34). No French woman is left in contention.

Day 4 — Thursday 27 August

Rain arrived in the early afternoon and suspended the final round: only a handful of matches were completed.

Thursday's qualifiers:

Grigor Dimitrov reaches the main draw without hitting a ball: Finland's Otto Virtanen withdrew. It will be his fifteenth US Open main draw.
Coleman Wong sees off Serbia's Dusan Lajovic (6-4, 6-3).
Tomas Barrios Vera knocks out Spain's Daniel Rincon (6-4, 6-3), the man who ended Titouan Droguet's week on Monday.
Toby Samuel goes through when Chile's Cristian Garin retires, with the Briton up 4-6, 6-4, 5-0.

In the women's draw, Zheng Qinwen, who had beaten Clara Burel the day before, saw her match against Elena Pridankina suspended after taking the first set 6-4.

When do the Frenchmen play for their place?

The nine suspended matches resume on Friday 28 August from 11 a.m. in New York (5 p.m. in France), from where they left off; those that never started follow on.

Arthur Gea (1st seed) faces American Nishesh Basavareddy (32nd seed) on Court 12, Hugo Gaston (3rd seed) follows on the same court against American Colton Smith, and Kei Nishikori meets his compatriot Rei Sakamoto on Stadium 17. One win and they are in the main draw, which begins on Sunday 30 August.