Toby Samuel wins first Grand Slam match at US Open; Cameron Norrie upset by Van Assche
Toby Samuel beat Tomas Machac 6-2 6-3 6-2 on his US Open main-draw debut in New York on 30 August 2026, registering his first win at a Grand Slam, while British number two Cameron Norrie, the 29th seed, lost in four sets to Luca Van Assche.
Samuel, a 23-year-old British qualifier from Winchester, reached the main draw after coming from a set down in each of his three qualifying matches in New York to guarantee a third Grand Slam appearance of the year. Two years earlier he fell to almost 2,000th in the world after bone bruising in his right arm curtailed much of 2024, but he has since rebuilt his career, winning 36 of 39 matches on the ATP Challenger Tour to return to the top 300 last year and lifting a third Challenger title of 2026 in Winnipeg. He has also made his Grand Slam debut at the French Open, received a Wimbledon wildcard and reached the semi-finals at Eastbourne this season.
On-court, Samuel was dominant against former world number 20 Machac, finishing with 24 winners and 13 unforced errors to Machac's 22 winners and 25 unforced errors in just over 90 minutes. He dropped only five points across his nine service games in the opening two sets, including three successive holds to love as part of a seven-game stretch, and after trailing 2-0 at the start of the third set he won the next six games, saving two break points during that run.
Samuel quantified the moment to BBC Radio 5 Live: "It means everything to me. It's what I dreamt of as a kid watching these big tournaments," and added, "Being able to win my first Grand Slam match is unbelievable." He also reflected on adjusting to life around higher-ranked players: "I'm still a little bit but I'm definitely more comfortable being around those top guys because I could be playing them the next day," and said, "I have to start thinking of them not as stars but people I can play against."
Samuel credited his time in the American collegiate system and his University of South Carolina experience, where he won an All American doubles title, with aiding his development, and noted support from team-mates who were in attendance. He also outlined his family's presence: "My brother's just started university in America so they flew out to help him settle in, and I think my dad will fly back out for the second round," Samuel added.
Cameron Norrie twice recovered from losing serve, including being broken in the first game, to win the opening set in a tie-break but managed only seven games across the following three sets in his defeat to Van Assche. Norrie's unforced-error tally of 49 was more than double his opponent's 21, and the result extended his run of first-round exits at Grand Slams to three in succession. "It was really tough," said Norrie. "I was pretty nervous and it showed in the beginning of the first set, and I did well to steal that first set. "I could never really maintain a good level of energy and momentum. That was super frustrating and pretty surprising. "I felt like I lost to myself today."
Samuel's victory sets up a second-round meeting with Czech 18th seed Jiri Lehecka at the US Open.
