Kazakh tennis player Damir Zhalgasbay, alongside American Safir Azam, advanced to the quarterfinals of the junior US Open 2026 in doubles. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
The Kazakh-American duo defeated the Japanese pair of Hugh Kawanashi and Kanta Watanabe in a hard-fought match – 6:7 (6:8), 7:6 (7:4), 10:4.
Road to victory
In the opening round of the doubles tournament, Zhalgasbay and Azam overcame the Thai-Indian duo of Kunanan Pantaratorn/Arnav Paparkar – 6:4, 6:2. The second-round match proved much more challenging.
In the first set, opponents confidently held their serves, leading to a tie-break. In the 13th game, the Japanese led 5:2, but Damir and Safir managed to level the score – 6:6. Then they made two consecutive errors and lost – 6:8.
In the second set, the Kazakh and the American led 5:4 and could have won the set with a single stroke. However, Azam made a gross error, turning set point into 5:5. Eventually, the set again went to a tie-break, where fortune smiled on Zhalgasbay and his partner – 7:4.
In the super tie-break, the Kazakh-American tandem showed their best qualities and proved their superiority. The match lasted 1 hour 46 minutes and ended with a score of 6:7 (6:8), 7:6 (7:4), 10:4. Zhalgasbay and Azam's opponents in the semifinal match will be determined later.
Singles setback
In the singles draw, Zhalgasbay put his racket away after the first match against American Jack Secord.
Rybakina's success
Elena Rybakina continues her performance at the US Open 2026. The country's first racket, who will top the world tennis rankings on Monday, defeated Chinese player Zhang Qinwen today – 3:6, 6:1, 6:4. In the semifinals, our tennis player will face American Coco Gauff, who beat Mirra Andreeva from Russia in the quarterfinals – 2:6, 7:6 (9:7), 6:2.
About the tournament
The US Open Tennis Championships is an annual Grand Slam tournament on hard courts. It is the last of the four in the calendar year. The total prize fund – $108 million – is a record for majors.