Ranked 175th, and it did not matter
Jerome Kym is through to the third round of the US Open. The Swiss qualifier beat Brandon Nakashima 4-6, 7-6 (2), 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 (8) in four and a half hours, finishing just before 9:30 p.m. French time.
Kym came out of qualifying and sits 175th in the world. Nakashima was seeded 30th. On court you would not have guessed which was which. They traded breaks for four sets and then went to a tie-break that Kym took 10 points to 8.
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A summer that ends badly for Nakashima
The American had been in good form. He beat Taylor Fritz at the Cincinnati Masters 1000 in August on his way to the semi-finals, and that run is what got him seeded in New York.
Going out in round two at his home Slam, on a fifth-set breaker, reads very differently. He led twice. He could not close either time.
Five sets are still the great leveller
This men’s draw has been taking hits since day one. Casper Ruud, seeded 12th and a finalist here in 2022, lost to Belgian Raphael Collignon. Holger Rune let a fifth set go against Jan-Lennard Struff. Jakub Mensik went out to Ugo Blanchet.
Every one of those was a five-setter. Eleven months of results build a ranking. One long night in New York can make it worthless.
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