Two Bradenton Residents Qualify for U.S. Open

Hina Inoue and Martin Damm Jr. scored two of the biggest wins of their careers on Friday afternoon, August 23, by winning their third round US Open qualifying matches to reach the US Open main draw. Inoue, age 22, and Damm Jr, age 21, will both make their Grand Slam main draw debuts at the 2025 US Open in Flushing Meadows, NY.

Damm Jr. qualified first. The son of former Grand Slam doubles champion Martin Damm, who is ranked 429 and needed a wildcard entry into qualies, ended a couple of years of struggles in his career by overcoming Japan's Yuta Shimizu 7-6, 6-4. In the preceding rounds, Damm defeated Italy's Stefano Travaglia 6-3, 6-2 and Germany-based Benjamin Hassan 7-5, 7-6.

The match did not lack tension as the six-foot-eight left-hander Damm was serving up 4-1 and 40-love - just one point away from a commanding 7-6 5-1 lead when Shimizu suddenly reeled off five straight points to steal the game, and then he held easily for 3-4. Somehow, Damm was able to manage his nerves under extreme pressure and managed to finish the job 6-4.

After the last point, the Bradenton-born and IMG Academy-based Damm collapsed on his back and cried in relief and joy. For this important, emotional triumph, Damm will earn $57,200 and then another $110,000 for a first-round main draw match vs. American teenager Darwin Blanch.

Inoue's victory later on Friday afternoon was not much less thrilling. The 22-year-old who trains regularly at the Bradenton Tennis Club courts with coach Jennifer Elie seemed to be cruising to her first Grand Slam main draw, but suddenly her ride hit some adversity. Inoue had beaten American veteran Lauren Davis 61 62 and Switzerland's Simona Waltert 63 62 in the previous rounds and was dominating Brazil's Lucrezia Stefanini 5-love in the first set, but then the match became complicated. Stefanini, who plays with unorthodox two-handed strokes for both her forehand and backhand, won five games in a row to level the score at 5-5.

On the same lucky Court 13 that Damm made his dreams come true a couple of hours earlier, Inoue matched the achievement. She won the first set tiebreaker 7-4 and then rolled through the second set 6-1.

Now safely into her first Grand Slam main draw and a first round date with former US Open champion and WTA world no. 1 and 36-year-old Viktoria Azarenka, Inoue's powerhouse baseline game can be a problem for anyone. Ranked 218 in the world, Inoue's career earnings before this US Open were $163,973. So far this week, she has banked $167,200.

Inoue's only other Grand Slam experience was earlier this summer at Wimbledon where she lost in the second round of qualifying to American Taylor Townsend 6-3 6-1.

There will be three other Bradenton residents competing in the 2025 US Open - Christian Harrison in men's doubles, Jerry Sheng in men's singles, and Nicole Melichar-Martinez in women's doubles.

Scoop Malinowski is working on his 25th book, Facing Andre Agassi, set for a 2026 release.