Merida Shocks Rublev to Reach First-Ever US Open Third Round

Spain's Next Star Arrives in New York

A year ago, Daniel Mérida was grinding through Challenger events trying to crack the top 100. On Thursday at Flushing Meadows, the 21-year-old Spaniard eliminated No. 23 seed Andrey Rublev 6-7(3), 6-2, 6-4, 6-4 to reach the third round of the 2026 US Open for the first time in his career. The result is the biggest win of his young life and confirmation that Spanish tennis has found another serious talent to watch.

Rublev, a perennial Grand Slam quarter-finalist ranked inside the world's top 25, arrived as one of the more dangerous players in this section of the draw. Mérida, seeded 23rd but capable of explosive tennis on his best days, was expected to struggle. Instead, after a tight opening set lost in a tiebreak, the Spaniard imposed himself completely and won the next three sets with growing authority.

Winning After Losing the Tiebreak

The first set was close throughout. Mérida traded groundstrokes confidently with the Russian, staying near the baseline and generating pace with his own forehand. A tiebreak was perhaps the fairest way to split it, and Rublev edged the shootout 7-3, taking a one-set lead.

What happened next illustrated just how mentally mature Mérida has become this year. Rather than chasing the game or over-hitting, he reset, tightened his length from the back of the court, and began finding angles that Rublev could not handle. The second set was taken 6-2 — a statement — and the third followed at 6-4, with Mérida dictating nearly every rally. In the fourth, Rublev tried to regain control but the Spaniard never relented, closing out 6-4 to complete one of the day's most convincing upsets.

A 2026 Season That Has Changed Everything

Mérida's arrival at this level was well-signposted for those paying attention. In 2026 he broke into the top 100 for the first time in May, then qualified for the final of the ATP 250 tournament in Bucharest before capturing his first tour-level title in Umag in July — dropping just one set en route to the championship match. A Masters 1000 quarter-final in Montreal in August pushed his ranking to a career-high of No. 39, and now a maiden Grand Slam third round adds another milestone.

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Born in 2004, Mérida is still only 21 years old. His game is built around court positioning and heavy topspin from the forehand side, a style that translates well to hard courts when the bounce stays predictable. At the US Open, where the balls sit up slightly more than at Roland Garros, his groundstrokes can be genuinely punishing from behind the baseline.

Michelsen Next, the Last Sixteen in Sight

Mérida's third-round opponent will be Alex Michelsen, the American who earlier in the day defeated compatriot and No. 16 seed Brandon Nakashima 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 in a one-sided affair. It is a match between two players who have beaten seeded opponents to get here, neither of whom was expected to feature this deep in the draw. Whoever wins will be in the second week of a Grand Slam — territory Mérida has never visited before.

For Rublev, the second-round exit extends a difficult stretch at Grand Slams, where his results have not consistently matched his consistent top-25 ranking. He remains one of the best players in the world on his day, but an afternoon in New York belonged entirely to a younger Spaniard with a point to prove.