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#NextGen stars Khachanov, Donaldson also prevail Friday
Day 4 of US Open Qualifying on Friday saw American brothers Christian Harrison and Ryan Harrison take very different paths into the US Open main draw, while #NextGen players Karen Khachanov of Russia and Jared Donaldson of the U.S. also moved into the final Grand Slam of the year.
Christian rallied from a set down on Court 17 to defeat Steven Diez and qualify for his first Grand Slam main draw, 1-6, 6-4, 6-2. The 22 year old, currently ranked No. 688 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, saved two match points in his first-round win over Luke Saville. Christian had never won a round in Grand Slam singles qualifying prior to this week.
More: Sweet Success For Harrison In New York
Older brother Ryan made it through qualifying in far less dramatic fashion, not dropping a set and scoring a convincing final-round qualifying win over Henri Laaksonen of Switzerland, 6-3, 6-2. The 24 year old is making his seventh consecutive appearance in the US Open main draw.
No. 14 seed Donaldson didn’t face a break point in his final-round qualifying match against Santiago Giraldo, needing just 61 minutes to advance to his third US Open main draw, 6-2, 6-2.
“I’m really happy to be in my third US Open. At least for the Americans, this is the biggest event of the year. Hopefully I can have a lot of success in the main draw,” said Donaldson. “It’s a grind to get through qualifying because everyone wants to make it into the main draw of a Grand Slam. It’s not easy and I had never done it before today, so it’s a great accomplishment for me.”
Khachanov weathered a mid-match surge from fellow #NextGen star Noah Rubin and a crowd that was very much behind the New York native. The Russian was unable to serve out the match at 5-3 in the third set, but broke Rubin in the next game to qualify for his first Grand Slam main draw, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.
<a href='http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/players/ ... ew'>Marton Fucsovics</a> qualifies for his first Grand Slam main draw on Friday at the <a href='http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/tourname ... erview'>US Open</a>.
Tecnifibre player Marton Fucsovics of Hungary qualified for his first Grand Slam main draw by defeating Lorenzo Giustino of Italy, 7-6(2), 6-1. The 24 year old has seen his Emirates ATP Ranking improve by nearly 60 spots this season.
Several other players also prevailed on Friday to qualify for their first Grand Slam main draw: No. 26 seed Saketh Myneni of India, Guilherme Clezar of Brazil, Jan Satral of the Czech Republic and Ilya Ivashka of Belarus

Long-awaited roof is ready for action this year
1. The US Open Will Remain An Outdoor Tennis Tournament
The roof, which can close in about seven minutes, will still only be used when necessary, such as when it rains or when inclement weather is a “strong probability”.
2. One Person Has The Final Say About Closing The Roof
In his 25th year as tournament referee, Brian Earley will have a new role: Deciding when to close the roof. “His decision is final,” according to the USTA, which runs and owns the US Open.

3. What Happens When A Decision Is Made?
Earley notifies the “roof control booth”.
The stadium shutters surrounding the upper bowl get closed.
The air management system is activated.
All doors leading from the concourse areas to the Club and Promenade levels will be closed.

4. If The Roof Closes During A Match...
In general, if the roof closes during a match, the roof will stay closed until the match is finished.

5. Will The Roof Stay Closed All Day Then?
That's up to the tournament referee, Earley.
6. Half and Half?
Nope. The roof will be either fully open or fully closed.
7. Will Fans Get To Use The Roof For Sun Protection?
No, although that would be quite the umbrella. Per the USTA, “The roof will be used only for inclement weather or the strong probability of inclement weather”.

Challenger success translates to the big stage at US Open qualifying
They say a picture can speak a thousand words, but if you ask Steve Darcis, he would illustrate it with one. "Unbelievable" the emotional Belgian said after marching through qualifying at the US Open on Friday.
"Unbelievable" describes the 32-year-old's three-set marathon victory over Enrique Lopez-Perez, saving a match point in a 10-8 deciding tie-break. It represents his dominance of #NextGen stars Tommy Paul and Duckhee Lee in the opening rounds, refusing to drop a set en route to qualifying in New York for the second time in three years. But more importantly, it aptly chronicles his journey back to the Grand Slam stage - and near-return to the Top 100 of the Emirates ATP Rankings - after shoulder and knee injuries sidelined the former World No. 44.
"You take every win when you're out for six or seven months," he added. Having posted a 21-4 record on the ATP Challenger Tour this year, the 5'10" right-hander has carried a strong run of form into the US Open. Titles in Lyon, France and earlier this month in Trnava, Slovakia, have vaulted him to World No. 108.
While Darcis will be making his eighth main draw appearance in New York, other qualifiers have surged into the field of 128 for the first time following breakthrough performances on the Challenger circuit this year.
"This is why you play tennis," #NextGen star Karen Khachanov told ATPWorldTour.com. Inside the Top 100 of the Emirates ATP Rankings following a title run at the Challenger in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, and plotting his ascent towards stardom, the 20-year-old qualified for his first Grand Slam in his sixth attempt, defeating Noah Rubin.
"You want to play in these big events. It feels great to me to be in the main draw. I'm just very happy. Even though I didn't play my best tennis, I passed through qualies, dealt with my emotions and I'm happy to be in my first Grand Slam. I know Noah pretty well. He's a fighter. He's the same age as me and he beat me one time in juniors, so it means a lot to get through."
Indeed, Khachanov has already become a household name on the ATP World Tour, but the quartet of Ilya Ivashka, Jan Satral, Marton Fucsovics and Saketh Myneni are reveling in their first moments in the spotlight and first experiences on one of the biggest stages in the game.
"I'm very happy that I qualified," said 22-year-old Ilya Ivashka, who is the third player representing Belarus to reach the main draw of a Grand Slam, joining Max Mirnyi and Vladimir Voltchkov. "I played very good tennis, which is even more important. It's amazing because Voltchkov is coaching me now and I know Max very well. They are helping me a lot."
With his Emirates ATP Ranking vascillating near the Top 300, Ivashka owned a 15-15 record on the ATP Challenger Tour when he stepped on the clay of Recanati, Italy, in mid-July, and battled to his first career final. Despite falling to Illya Marchenko, he believes it was the week that changed everything.
"It gave me all the confidence, because I beat a Top 100 player there," Ivashka said of his comeback victory over top seed Evgeny Donskoy in the semis. "I played great tennis. Three of the matches went three sets. It gave me the belief that I can beat the good players and it helped a lot. I want to win every match that I play."
One of 20 first-time winners on the Challenger circuit this year, Ivashka has since risen to a career-high World No. 181 and is slated to open his tour-level career against Winston-Salem Open champion Pablo Carreno Busta.
All it takes is one win. One win can change the trajectory of a season and often a career. For some, the springboard to the bigger stages and bright lights is swift and immediate. Just ask Jan Satral. It was the first round of €42,500 event in Marburg, Germany in late June. The 26-year-old Czech was sitting at No. 272 in the Emirates ATP Rankings and in search of confidence as his 2016 campaign reached the halfway mark. One win over former Top 100 stalwart Tobias Kamke changed everything.
"It did a lot for me,” Satral told ATPWorldTour.com. “I wasn't in good shape at the beginning of the season and then I won a round of qualifying at Wimbledon and went to Marburg as a last-minute decision. When I beat Tobias Kamke in the first round, it gave me the most confidence to beat the good players. After that, every match I played pretty well and I started to feel good again.”
Satral would storm to his maiden ATP Challenger Tour title in Marburg, dropping a combined 10 games in the semis and final. But the Czech wasn’t done. Victory on the German clay propelled him to qualify for his first ATP World Tour main draw in Hamburg just one week later, stealing a set from former World No. 9 Nicolas Almagro in the first round. Satral has since carried the momentum into the Big Apple, where he cruised to his first Grand Slam qualification without dropping a set. He awaits fellow major newcomer and American collegiate star Mackenzie McDonald, with a potential date with 10th seed Gael Monfils on the line.
Satral
“Kamke was the most important win of the year and after that I played great. I'm happy that I'm staying like this.”
Ivashka, Satral, Fucsovics and Myneni might be Grand Slam debutants, but they are certainly no strangers to high-pressure moments. Ivashka, Satral and Fucsovics each reached an ATP Challenger Tour final while residing outside the Top 200 this year, while Myneni finished runner-up on home soil in New Delhi as World No. 166. Dedicated and focused on taking their breakout campaigns to an even higher level at the US Open, the foursome have earned the opportunity.
"In all my dreams, this is one of best thing that's ever happened to me in tennis," said Myneni, who lives in nearby Greenwich, Connecticut. "Qualifying is great, but you still have to stay focused. If it's the Challenger Tour or tour-level events, it's the same goal in keeping your ranking up there and always improving. This is my home Grand Slam, being one hour away, and it's especially nice having the support of my family being here."
In addition, for India's Myneni, Belarus's Ivashka and Hungary's Fucsovics, qualifying for a first Grand Slam main draw is not only an individual achievement, rather a source of great national pride.
"I hope it helps," added Myneni, who is just the second player from India to compete in singles at the US Open since 2002, along with Somdev Devvarman. "Tennis has improved a lot in the last 10 years. I think there is a long way to go for the sport to develop further and get better and better, but it's a good thing for them to see a guy from India competing in such a big stage."
Brilliant effort by Saki for qualifying for the main draw @usopen @SakethMyneni #SakiBomb #SakiSquad
— Rohan Bopanna (@rohanbopanna) August 27, 2016
Fucsovics is part of an even more exclusive club, as just the fourth Hungarian man to appear in a Grand Slam main draw and first outside of Roland Garros. It was his 15th attempt in total.
"I'm very happy to be on the list, but hopefully I can win some matches in the main draw as well and play even better the rest of the year,” said Fucsovics, who opens with a stern test against a resurgent Nicolas Almagro. “I changed my coach recently to Attila Savolt and he has helped me a lot to get to this level.”
The 24-year-old is on course to surpass his career-high World No. 135 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, having streaked to the final at the prestigious ATP Challenger Tour event in Prostejov, Czech Republic, in early June. It was the first final in nearly two years for the former Wimbledon junior champ.
“I reached the final in Prostejov as a qualifier, which is one of the biggest Challengers. It was a big result after a long time, since I had won two Challengers many years ago. It gave me a lot of confidence and for sure led to this result.”
Fucsovics, Ivashka, Khachanov, Myneni and Satral aren’t the only players to qualify at a Grand Slam for the first time. In fact, there are eight in total, with 22-year-old Christian Harrison, 23-year-old Brazilian Guilherme Clezar and 26-year-old Italian Alessandro Giannessi also making their debuts after prevailing on Friday. Clezar, runner-up at the 2014 ATP Challenger Tour Finals, qualified in his 14th attempt.
Watch Harrison Interview

The 2016 US Open gets under way today with 128 men and women competing for bragging rights at the final Grand Slam of the year.
Fans will notice a range of changes and upgrades to the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center from the moment they step onto the grounds,from the new retractable roof over Arthur Ashe Stadium to the opening of a new Grandstand Stadium and the renovation of the fields courts and South Plaza.
With all the changes taking place, we know you’ve got plenty of questions. Fortunately, we’ve got answers to your most common queries.
Q: Will the roof be ready this year?
A: Yes, the retractable roof is in place and operational. It will provide fans with uninterrupted match play – save for the six or seven minutes it takes to close the roof – regardless of weather conditions. Players have already practiced in Arthur Ashe stadium, both with the roof open and closed, and extensive testing has been carried out to ensure ensure works smoothly.

Q: Will the roof be closed to provide shade for fans on hot days?
A: No, the roof will only be closed for inclement weather or the threat of inclement weather. It will not be used to keep fans out of the sun or heat. Also, the roof will either be fully open or fully closed; there is no in-between option like at some other tournaments that use a retractable roof.

Q: How will this affect capacity in Arthur Ashe Stadium this year?
A: There will be no effect on capacity in Arthur Ashe Stadium. It will remain at 23,771 seats. There will be a 15-foot gap between the top row of seats and the roof structure, but no seats have been added or removed.

Q: Will the roof block the views from any seats inside Arthur Ashe Stadium this year? Or will this take away the New York City skyline view from the top of the stadium?
A: The construction will have no effect on sight lines in Arthur Ashe Stadium, and the Manhattan skyline will still be visible from the top of the stadium when the shutter doors are open. If the roof is closed and the shutter doors are closed, the skyline will not be visible.

Q: When the roof is open, what will the wind be like inside? And when the roof is closed, will there be air conditioning on?
A: The roof will not change weather conditions inside Arthur Ashe Stadium. While it will not provide air conditioning like you would be accustomed to in your home, cold air will run through a duct system at the top of the stadium when the roof is closed to help manage humidity throughout the stadium seating area and on the court.

Q: Will the new Grandstand be ready this year?
A: A new 8,125-seat Grandstand stadium has been built in the southwest corner of the grounds, near the practice courts and Courts 4-6, and it is ready for play. It's sunken into the ground, like Court 17, and its asymmetrical design and sun canopy roof means the majority of spectators will be able to stay in the shade throughout the day.

Q: What other features does the new Grandstand have?
A: A raised walkway around the upper bowl will allow fans to walk around the entire 360 degrees of the stadium. A patio viewing area with outdoor lawn furniture at the upper bowl will give fans the chance to watch the action inside the Grandstand and on the neighboring Courts 8-10, and eight new concession stands inside the stadium will give spectators more food and drink choices than before. There will also be a picnic area for fans to relax between matches.

Q: Is seating in the new Grandstand on a first-come, first-served basis like before?
A: The new Grandstand will consist of a mixture of reserved courtside seats and general admission seats. You can purchase a ticket for a reserved seat for the first eight days of the tournament, or you can access the other seats on a first-come, first-served basis.

Q: What about the old Grandstand? Has that been demolished?
A: No, the physical structure of the stadium is still there. The old Grandstand will be used for a limited number of matches during the first week of the tournament and it will then serve as another practice court, letting fans get up close to their favorite players. The old Grandstand and Louis Armstrong Stadium structure will be knocked down after the 2016 US Open and a bigger, roof-ready Louis Armstrong Stadium will take its place in 2018.

Q: Are there any changes to the outer field courts?
A: Yes, with the exception of Courts 4-6, every field court has been demolished and rebuilt from scratch. A new 450-feet long, 40-feet wide walkway has been built connecting Court 17 to the new Grandstand stadium. All of the outer field courts have been realigned to create more space for fans to watch the action and move between courts.
Courts 8-10 will hold 20 percent more fans following the introduction of raised seating behind the baseline. Another walkway will connect Courts 13-16, where 600 more seats have been created by adding baseline bleachers and larger sideline benches. Court 7 and Court 11 have been rebuilt to provide more food options and twice as many restrooms as before, and Court 12 has been expanded from around 200 seats to almost 1,400 seats.
In total, that’s an increase of 36 percent more seats on the outside field courts compared to 2015.

Q: With more people on the grounds, won’t it be more congested than before?
A: No, movement will be greatly improved by drawing some of the spectators from the old Grandstand to the other corner of the site. In addition, more seats on the field courts will keep fewer people walking around the grounds, and expanded food courts will keep lines smaller at the concession stands.

Q: What additions have been made to the Food Village?
A: The existing food court will be expanded to include six more booths by Court 17, and there will be eight kiosks and a new mini Food Village near the new Grandstand. In addition, a new 36-foot-long oyster bar will anchor the back of Court 7, and the previous food offerings at Courts 11 will be bigger than in previous years. Angry Taco, BLT Fish Shack, Fuku, Jacob's Creek Bar, Korilla BBQ and Neapolitan Express are new to the food village.

Q: Are there other new food options this year?
A; Yes. In the new Grandstand, Ben & Jerry;s, BLT Fish Shack, Farm 2 Fork, Franks & Fries, Hill Country BBQ, Neapolitan Express and Prime Burger will serve hungry fans. Grey Goose will also debut a new bar which features the Grey Goose Le Grand Fizz cocktail. Pat LaFrieda Meat Co. is at Court 7 and Wine Bar Food moves into the new Court 11. Vegetarian concession stand Soomsoom headlines new food options at Court 16 along with Morris Grilled Cheese, which was a popular food truck in 2015.

Q: Are there any other construction projects planned?
A: Yes, a temporary court will be erected in 2017 while the new Louis Armstrong Stadium is being built. The new, 14,000-seat stadium is the final phase of the transformation project and is scheduled to be complete and ready for play for the 2018 US Open. When finished, 85 percent of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center will have been renovated as part of the US Open’s strategic transformation.

Q: Will these changes impact ticket prices?
A: The strategic transformation will have no impact on ticket prices. The USTA is self-financing the entire cost of the improvements through a combination of bonds and USTA revenue generation. No public funds will be utilized.