Dane Sweeny has won a real-life David-versus-Goliath battle to rock the US Open with a stunning second-round upset win over dual grand slam semifinalist Lorenzo Musetti.
The unheralded Australian wildcard took down the 14th seed 3-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 on Thursday (Friday AEST) for the biggest win of his career.
Standing only 170 centimetres high, Sweeny rose to the occasion to reach the third round of a grand slam for the first time and earn a minimum pay day of $US290,000 ($A402,750).
Ranked more than 100 places below his world number 14 opponent, Sweeny was the player doing all the bossing.
He ran the 185cm-tall Musetti ragged and had the Italian looking in great distress when he required a medical time-out after falling behind a double break at 0-3 in the pivotal third set.
Even after clawing one break back, Musetti — who has made the Wimbledon and French Open semifinals over the past two years — continued remonstrating animatedly to his courtside box.
Despite sporting a massive ice pack on his right elbow after his first-round win, Sweeny continued diving like Boris Becker for acrobatic volleys at the net.
And the 25-year-old battler was duly rewarded with a last-32 shot at another Italian, world number 22 Luciano Daredri, on Saturday (AEST).
Sweeny was among four Australians chasing spots in the men’s third round on day six at Flushing Meadows.
Tristan Schoolkate was also up against an Italian heavyweight and snatched the first set against fifth-seeded French Open runner-up Flavio Cobilli.
Cobolli hit back to take the next three sets though, ending Schoolkate’s excellent run from qualifying with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-5 defeat.
Alexei Popyrin was locked in a tense battle with 25th-seeded Chilean Alejandro Tabilo for a place in the last 32 once again.
Popyrin blitzed the first set 6-2, but Tabilo claimed the next two in tie breaks before rounding out the four-set win, 2-6, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (3), 6-2.
Australia’s sixth seed, Alex de Minaur, will play Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp on The Grandstand.
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