Youth was served Monday in Rock Creek Park, as rising stars Victoria Mboko and Ethan Quinn were among the early winners in first-round play.
Quinn was particularly efficient in a 6-3, 6-2 triumph over Australian Christopher O’Connell. The American wild card saved the only break point he faced and advanced in 71 minutes on John Harris Court. It was an encouraging launching pad for the 21-year-old making his DC debut.
“I think there’s a lot more room for improvement where I can start to win matches more handily and today was a perfect example of that,” he said after the win.
“A lot of matches I’ve won this year have been 7-5 in the third or 7-6 in the third- just long physical matches. So, I think the next step is trying to win the matches more straight up and not using so much physical energy.”
Quinn has enjoyed a rapid rise this year, qualifying for Masters 1000 events in Indian Wells, Miami and Madrid and reaching the third round at Roland Garros. He recently reached a career-high World No. 82.
“It’s kind of surreal,” said Quinn, who played collegiately at Georgia and won the 2023 NCAA Championship. “At the start of the year, I didn’t think I’d be ranked where I am right now. I was ranked just outside the Top 200 to start the year. Our plan for the year was just to put our head down and work hard. I think we’ve done that pretty well.”
Quinn’s win sets up a second-round date with UVA alum and No. 14 seed Brandon Nakashima.
“Looking forward to it,” Quinn said. “I respect Brandon a ton. I’d say he’s one of the best ball strikers on Tour. He’s so pure and so clean on both sides.”
Other early winners on Monday included Italy’s Matteo Arnaldi and British wild card Dan Evans. Evans, the 2023 DC champion, rallied past Zizou Bergs 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 before a packed crowd on John Harris Court across two hours and 29 minutes.
CANADIANS ADVANCE ON STADIUM
Canadians ruled the day on Stadium Court as both Mboko and Leylah Fernandez earned straight-set triumphs.
Making her DC debut, the 18-year-old Mboko beat Anastasia Potapova 6-2, 6-4, setting up a second-round showdown with No. 3 seed Elena Rybakina.
Fernandez beat Maya Joint 6-3, 6-3 to secure a second-round date with No. 1 seed Jessica Pegula.
