Watson among Britons through in US Open qualifying

Watson among Britons through in US Open qualifyingImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Heather Watson made her US Open main-draw debut in 2011ByHarry PooleBBC Sport journalistPublished46 minutes agoBritain’s Heather Watson battled back from a set down against Claire Liu to keep alive her hopes of securing a first US Open main-draw appearance in five years.The 34-year-old Watson beat sixth seed Liu 4-6 6-2 6-4 in the first round of qualifying in New York.Watson almost let a double-break lead slip in the final set but held firm to set up a meeting with Spain’s Angela Fita Boluda.Toby Samuel, Jacob Fearnley, Billy Harris and Harry Wendelken all progressed in men’s qualifying.Samuel, seeking to reach the US Open main draw for the first time, fought back against Italy’s Francesco Maestrelli to win 6-7 (2-7) 6-3 6-1 and set up a meeting with fellow Briton Harris.Harris progressed with a 6-1 6-3 win against Peru’s Gonzalo Bueno.Fearnley claimed a 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 victory over Spain’s Roberto Carballes Baena to set up a meeting with Frenchman Luka Pavlovic.Wendelken will meet Swiss player Remy Bertola after overcoming Italy’s Stefano Travaglia 6-4 3-6 6-3.However, Liam Broady lost 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 against Italy’s Marco Cecchinato, while Felix Gill was beaten by Italian Francesco Passaro 7-6 (7-3) 6-2.Players must come through three rounds of qualifying to reach the singles main draw, which gets under way on Sunday.Williams and Alcaraz to play US Open mixed doubles