It was a tale of two halves: Andrea Guerrieri began his second qualifying round match at the 2026 US Open looking visibly inhibited, but grew steadily into his best tennis and ultimately came through with a clear 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 victory over Joel Josef Schwärzler. The 27-year-old Italian now advances to the third and final qualifying round, where a spot in the main draw of the season's last Grand Slam awaits.
Schwärzler dominant in the opening set
Schwärzler, the 20-year-old Austrian from Hard, came out of the blocks with purpose. The left-hander, recognised by the ATP Tour as a NextGenATP star and already the winner of two ATP Challenger titles this season, controlled the baseline exchanges in the first set. Guerrieri conceded too many break points on his own serve and struggled to find any rhythm. Schwärzler capitalised on his chances with conviction and claimed the opening set 6-3.
Both players had already been taken the distance in the opening qualifying round — Guerrieri against Danish opponent August Holmgren, Schwärzler against 20th-seeded Brazilian Gustavo Heide. The toll of the previous day's efforts was evident early on, particularly for the Italian.
Guerrieri turns the match around
The second set brought a clear response from Guerrieri. The world No. 187 lifted his serving considerably: by the end of the match he had won 61 per cent of points on serve overall, and 73 per cent behind his first serve. That foundation gave him the stability to start applying pressure of his own. Guerrieri converted his break points at a rate of 36 per cent — enough to take the second set 6-4.
In the third set, Schwärzler's resistance finally gave way. Guerrieri saved break points at a rate of 70 per cent, leaving his opponent with almost no foothold in the match. With 32 winners to Schwärzler's 20, and seven aces underlining his authority in the decisive phase, Guerrieri wrapped up the third set 6-1.
A clear trajectory proves decisive
The statistics reflect how the match unfolded: Guerrieri won 54 per cent of all points and 58 per cent of all games, while Schwärzler converted just 38 per cent of his return games. Guerrieri also won 69 per cent of his net approach points, demonstrating that his threat extended well beyond the baseline.
For Schwärzler, who entered qualifying unseeded and works under the guidance of Jürgen Melzer and Markus Hipfl, the dream of a first Grand Slam main draw appearance is on hold for now. Guerrieri, however, who earlier in 2026 claimed his first ATP Challenger title in Rome as a qualifier, once again showed his capacity to turn things around when the going gets tough.
