British qualifier Toby Samuel claimed his first Grand Slam main-draw victory, defeating former world number 20 Tomas Machac 6-2 6-3 6-2 at the US Open 2026. The 23-year-old, who rebounded from a 2024 ranking as low as 1,999 due to arm injury, now sits inside the top 100 and earned $140,000 in prize money. Samuel's dominant performance followed a three-set comeback through qualifying, dropping just five points across nine service games.

He will face Czech 18th seed Jiri Lehecka next. Meanwhile, Cameron Norrie lost to Luca Van Assche in four sets, citing 49 unforced errors as a key issue. Norrie, the 29th seed, twice recovered from breaking serve but could only win seven games in the final three sets.

Samuel credited his University of South Carolina teammates' energy and noted adjusting to elite company after being starstruck at Roland Garros. His college background and recent ATP Challenger success—36 wins in 39 matches—helped secure automatic Australian Open qualification for 2027.