Alex de Minaur wins US Open, Thanasi Kokkinakis beats Stefanos Tsitsipas, next match, Australians, results, Tristan Schoolkate, Jordan Thompson

For about an hour in the world's largest stadium, Australian bulldog Li Tu troubled Spanish sensation Carlos Alcaraz, and the crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium chanted his surname in approval as he launched a bold attempt at a stunning upset victory.

It was already an extraordinary day for the Australian men: Six players, including Alex de Minaur and Thanasi Kokkinakis, made great progress. But the fact that Tu put the reigning Roland Garros and Wimbledon champion under pressure made things even more exciting.

In the end, it was not enough for the 28-year-old qualifier, who lost 6:2, 4:6, 6:3, 6:1 in 2 hours and 42 minutes. But Alcaraz was one of those who left the largest tennis stadium in the world convinced that this would not be the last time the courageous South Australian would be seen playing tennis.

“Of course, it surprised me a little. In the first set, it was obvious that he started the match nervously,” he said.

“After the first set, he grew up and started to enjoy it. He played great tennis. He's a great player. I was surprised… and I'll follow his results from now on because I'm pretty sure I'll see him again very soon playing at this level.”

Tu, who received a wildcard for the 2021 Australian Open and qualified for the US Open thanks to his strong form last week, told Nick Kyrgios in a pre-match interview for ESPN that he hopes to have fun and is looking forward to enjoying the experience to the fullest.

He certainly did. And so did most of the other Australians who were in action on the second day at Flushing Meadows.

After Tu's old junior teammate Kokkinakis set the tone for a great day with a huge upset win over Stefanos Tsistsipas, de Minaur returned to form with a typically brave victory.

But de Minaur, who beat Marcos Giron 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, admitted that every time he steps on court he is taking a step into the unknown and that his movement is limited as he continues to struggle with the hip injury that forced him to retire from a Wimbledon quarter-final.

In his first singles match since withdrawing before the match against Novak Djokovic, the No. 10 seed was able to recover strongly under pressure early in the fourth set, facing an American who had beaten him in three of their previous four matches and recently won an ATP Tour title.

“This meant a lot to me, just being out there and competing and giving myself a chance to play,” he said.

“And all in all, it was never easy, but I'm very happy that I was able to win. Obviously I felt a lot of emotions that I haven't felt in a long time.”

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The 25-year-old was not as fit as he was when he reached the quarter-finals at Roland Garros and Wimbledon this year and later said he had been forced to play alone, which was not in keeping with his ethics.

“It's super hard. I mean … the concept of not getting every single ball on the court is hard because I was raised to just go out there and try to get every single ball,” he said.

“(Now) I have to play a certain way to take care of myself. That's pretty difficult too. So suddenly I have to think a lot more than I'm used to and that makes it a lot harder.”

The challenge for de Minaur, who played a doubles match at the Olympics, is to freshen up for his second-round match against Finnish qualifier Otto Virtanen, who is more talented than his ranking suggests.

During his press conference, he shivered after a long ice bath and admitted that he was not sure how he would wake up tomorrow.

“It's not 100 percent, but I knew it would be. So it's about learning to deal with it, playing with it, having low expectations and just paying attention to it because it's still there,” he said.

“To be honest, the uncertainty as to when I will feel 100 percent fit again is still very uncertain at this point.”

But after reaching the round of 16 last year, this is another step in the right direction for the Davis Cup leader on a day that also saw compatriots Kokkinakis, wildcard Tristan Schoolkate, Jordan Thompson, Max Purcell and Chris O'Connell progress.

This means that after the victories of Alexei Popyrin and Rinky Hijikata on the first day, eight Australians have advanced to the second round.

No Australians advanced on the second day, with Ajla Tomljanovic and Maya Joint playing their second round matches in New York on Wednesday. Ten of the 20 Australians who reached the main draw in New York have advanced.

Kokkinakis was understandably delighted after his 7-6 (5), 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 victory in 3 hours and 54 minutes over two-time Grand Slam finalist Tsitsipas, later describing it as the biggest Grand Slam win of his career.

The triumph over the 11th seed was only his second ever in New York and his first since 2019, although Kokkinakis has only participated in five previous US Opens in the ten years since his Grand Slam debut in Melbourne in 2014.

Kokkinakis, who will play Zizou Bergs in the second round, was richly rewarded for both his powerful serve and his thunderous forehand. He was able to use these weapons well against the 11th seed in a highly entertaining but also extremely physical match. Both players required medical treatment at different stages.

“It's a huge relief. I'm totally excited,” he said.

“I lost a few close games, but now I'm slowly on the winning side. After Montreal, I took a short break from the tournament and went to Bradenton, Florida. Anyone who has ever been there knows that there isn't much to do there other than training.

“That was my goal, to prepare for moments like this and games like this, and (I'm) super happy that it paid off.”

Meanwhile, wildcard player Tristan Schoolkate from Western Australia made a tremendous comeback, defeating Japanese Taro Daniel 4:6, 4:6, 6:4, 7:6 (6), 6:4 in 3 hours and 49 minutes.

The 23-year-old, who used crowdfunding at the start of his professional career to raise enough money to take part in lower-category tournaments, raised his arms in joy in front of the roaring crowd on Court 16 after winning his Grand Slam debut.

The aggressive all-round player, who is ranked 193rd in the world and has earned just over $500,000 in his career so far, will earn at least $200,000 for reaching the second round in New York.

“It's great. First of all, I have the opportunity to play. Of course I'm grateful for that. And I hope I can take another step forward and continue like this,” he said.

“Things have changed a little bit. I started playing on my own when I was 18, and when I got into the junior events, I had to create GoFundMe pages to pay for things. My family doesn't come from a wealthy family.

“This is by far the biggest check I've ever received playing professionally. Hopefully I can keep going like this and it'll keep getting bigger, but it's all going towards my tennis. The prize money looks like a big amount, but you have a lot of expenses along the way. This is obviously great and will help me progress.”

He faces an extremely tough challenge in the second round, as he will face the promising Czech player Jakub Mensik, who swept the 19th seeded Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-2, 6-4, 6-2. The winner of this duel will play Kokkinakis in the third round if he advances.

Jordan Thompson, who missed his goal of being seeded in the rankings for the first time at a Grand Slam, made a much easier progress by outclassing Frenchman Constant Lestienne 6-1, 6-3, 6-2, earning him a second-round match against Polish star Hubert Hurkacz.

Purcell joined them in beating fellow countryman Aleks Vukic, who sprained his ankle in the second set, 7-5, 6-4, 6-3 in 2 hours and 15 minutes and awaits the winner of the clash between 14th-seeded American Tommy Paul and Lorenzo Sonego.

The Wimbledon doubles champion was unsure how he would fare after injuring his ankle in Cincinnati and cancelled his participation in a tournament last week as a precautionary measure, but he said he was feeling better just days before the start of the major.

“There was a huge difference between Sunday and Monday and I thought to myself, 'OK, actually I feel like I can win a game now.' So no, I didn't know (this form) was coming,” he said.

“After the first game, where I hung in there and hit some good balls from the back (of the court) and felt comfortable, I thought, 'Okay, I can definitely do this.'”

O'Connell, who struggled with injury problems mid-year, put in a strong performance to beat 26th seed Nicolas Jarry 6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3. He will play Italian qualifier Mattia Bellucci on Thursday.