Harriet Dart Qualifies for US Open

Harriet Dart qualified for the US Open main draw on Friday, rallying past Heather Watson 2-6, 6-4, 6-1 in an all-British final-round qualifier at Flushing Meadows. The LTA said Dart, ranked No. 131, needed two hours and 18 minutes and will play the main draw in New York for the first time since 2024. Watson broke her three times in the opening set. Dart evened it in a messy second, then ran off five straight games in the third.

She was not alone. Toby Samuel, Francesca Jones, and Harry Wendelken also came through qualifying. The LTA called it the first time four Britons have qualified at a Grand Slam outside Wimbledon since the 1988 Australian Open. They join Katie Boulter, Cam Norrie, Arthur Fery, and Jan Choinski, who already had direct entry. Main draw play begins Sunday, Aug. 30.

How did Harriet Dart qualify?

By surviving a teammate. The LTA said rain had pushed the last round from Thursday. Dart and Watson, Billie Jean King Cup partners, finally got a court on Friday. Watson took the first set. Dart took the second. The decider was a blowout the other way. Five games in a row, a berth, and a first Flushing main-draw appearance in two years.

Jones made it look simpler. She beat Joanna Garland 6-4, 6-1 in an hour and 14 minutes, dropping just six points behind serve, the LTA wrote. It is her second straight US Open main draw. Jones arrived off back-to-back WTA 125 titles in Rome and Palermo. Samuel reached the main draw Thursday when Cristian Garin retired while trailing 4-6, 6-4, 5-0 during a rain delay. Wendelken finished a 6-7(3), 7-6(5), 7-6(5) win over Vilius Gaubas on Friday and will make his main-draw debut.

What the Dart qualifying run means

Britain now has eight singles players in the US Open field if you count the four direct entries. Jacob Fearnley came up short, losing to Jurij Rodionov 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, the LTA said. Dart still has to wait for the rest of qualifying to finish before she gets a first-round name. The search is Harriet Dart US Open. The answer is she is in, Watson is out, and the British qualifying record is real.

Flushing already had a qualifier board on Smacktok after Zheng Qinwen came through Friday and Venus Williams drew Sofia Kenin in the main draw. Dart is the next name on that list. Four Brits through qualifying is the headline in London. For search, it is still Dart, 2-6, 6-4, 6-1, and a Sunday start.

Harriet Dart US Open FAQ

Did Harriet Dart qualify for the US Open? Yes. She beat Heather Watson 2-6, 6-4, 6-1 in the final round of qualifying on Friday.

When does Harriet Dart play at the US Open? Main draw play begins Sunday, Aug. 30. Her first-round opponent had not been assigned in the LTA report.

How many British players qualified? Four: Dart, Francesca Jones, Toby Samuel, and Harry Wendelken, the most at a Slam outside Wimbledon since 1988.