Watson and Britons advance in US Open qualifying; face top stars in mixed doubles

Heather Watson kept her US Open main-draw hopes alive by defeating sixth seed Claire Liu in the first round of qualifying. Watson, 34, battled back from a set down to win 4-6, 6-2, 6-4, overcoming a near slip in the final set to secure her spot in the next round.

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Almost let a double-break lead slip in the final set but held firm.

Several British men also advanced in qualifying. Toby Samuel fought back from a set down to beat Italy's Francesco Maestrelli 6-7 (7-2), 6-3, 6-1. He will face fellow Briton Jacob Fearnley, who secured a 7-6 (7-3), 6-3 victory over Spain's Roberto Carballes Baena. Billy Harris also progressed with a straightforward 6-1, 6-3 win against Peru's Gonzalo Bueno. Harry Wendelken overcame Italy's Stefano Travaglia 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 and will play Remy Bertola of Switzerland.

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fought back against Italy's Francesco Maestrelli to win 6-7 (2-7) 6-3 6-1

However, Liam Broady and Felix Gill were eliminated. Broady lost 7-6 (7-4), 6-3 to Italy's Marco Cecchinato, while Gill was beaten by Italy's Francesco Passaro 7-6 (7-3), 6-2. Players must win three qualifying rounds to reach the main draw, which begins Sunday.

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claimed a 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 victory over Spain's Roberto Carballes Baena

In the mixed doubles, Britons Henry Patten and Lloyd Glasspool are set to face some of the sport's biggest names. Patten, paired with Czech Republic's Katerina Siniakova, will play Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka. Glasspool and his partner Erin Routliffe of New Zealand are scheduled to face Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz. The mixed doubles format was controversially revamped last year to include singles stars, featuring shorter sets and no advantage scoring.

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will seek to beat some of the sport's biggest stars after coming through two qualifying matches on Monday.