The 2024 US Open begins on Monday and three former Florida tennis players will compete in New York City. Anna Danilina and Ingrid Neel will compete with their respective partners in the doubles tournament, while McCartney Kessler will make her US Open singles debut.
Kessler won the Tennis in the Land tournament on August 24, where she claimed her first WTA Tour title. After breaking into the top 100 singles players two weeks ago, Kessler has now risen to No. 63 in the world rankings. On the way to her Tennis in the Land title, the 25-year-old American defeated three of the tournament’s top five seeds, including No. 21 Beatriz Haddad Maia in the final.
The 2022 SEC Player of the Year and ITA All-American has 35 wins on the WTA Tour this year. In Kessler’s first US Open main draw, the former Gator will face No. 19 Marta Kostyuk in the first round and hope to build on her momentum.
Kessler will be accompanied at the US Open by her former Florida teammate Anna Danilna.
Danilina will compete in the doubles tournament with her partner Irina Khromacheva. She will be looking to build on her victory at the 2023 US Open mixed doubles tournament.
A four-time college All-American, Danilina has reached the semifinals of 12 of the WTA Tour doubles events she has competed in this year and has made it to the finals six times. Since January, No. 48 Danilina has won three WTA Tour titles: the ASB Classic, the Open delle Puglie and the UniCredit Iasi Open.
Danilina will begin the US Open in the first round with a match against Tyra Caterina Grant and Iva Jovic.
In addition to Danilina and Kessler, former Gator women’s tennis player Ingird Neel will also compete in New York. Neel reached the finals of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix and the Libéma Open in 2024, winning the latter in June.
The former Gator won 23 doubles victories last calendar year and four titles in her career. Neel and partner Ulrikke Eikeri will look to extend that tally in a tightly contested US Open field, facing Jaqueline Cristian and Angelica Moratelli in the first round.
Kessler will begin singles play against No. 19 Marta Kostyuk at 11 a.m. on Monday, while Neel and Danilina will play doubles play at 11 a.m. on Wednesday.
Contact Noah White at [email protected]. Follow him on X @noahwhite1782.
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