Huntington's Jack Kennedy falls in first round of U.S. Open

Jack Kennedy said before the U.S. Open that his Grand Slam debut was going to be a dream come true.

And while Sunday afternoon’s first-round matchup in Flushing didn’t go the 18-year-old Huntington native’s way — Lloyd Harris of South Africa defeated Kennedy, 6-4, 6-2, 6-2, on Court 12 — the significance of the moment was not lost on him.

“Yeah, it was great,” Kennedy said. “Tough one, to not get it done. But yeah, it was a dream come true, an experience that I’ll remember forever. Not the result we wanted, but just happy to be out there competing.”

Fans packed the stands to support Kennedy, the No. 394 player in the world, against Harris, 29, the No. 139 player in the world. Loud chants of “Let’s go Jack!” began before he started warming up.

Kennedy, who constantly tried to fire up the crowd, said the support matched what he dreamed of having.

“I definitely caught some familiar faces when I looked around, but it’s tough in the moment to kind of see and pick and choose who’s out there,” he said. “But it was great. I saw a lot of people that I haven’t seen in years, and it’s really cool for them to all come together and be here at this match.”

Kennedy earned a wild card into the main draw after winning the USTA Boys’ 18s National Championships in Kalamazoo, Michigan, on Aug. 16.

Huntington’s Jack Kennedy getting set for his Grand Slam debut. Cheers of “Let’s go Jack!” throughout the crowd at Court 12. pic.twitter.com/pa8bn3cbS9

— Ben Dickson (@bendickson__) August 30, 2026

Harris, who secured his U.S. Open berth with three consecutive wins in qualifying, has had success in Flushing, making a run to the U.S. Open quarterfinals in 2021. He will play the winner of Monday’s match between 10th-seeded Arthur Fils of France and Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece, the former world No. 3, in the second round.

“It’s not easy,” Harris said of playing against the local favorite. “Obviously, he is awarded the wild card. I’ve done fairly well here before. You feel a bit of pressure. Extra pressure, extra nerves, and then you have the crowd behind him, too. So absolutely, it’s different. But I do love a nice atmosphere. And whether it’s for me or against me, that’s never changed for me.”

The 6-4 Harris had a major size advantage over the 5-7 Kennedy. Harris had 16 aces, and his serve was difficult for Kennedy to handle.

“Obviously, he did a really good job serving,” said Kennedy, who recognized the big change in physicality from the junior level. “He mixed them up a lot, and he was very accurate with the serves, and he was kind of putting them on lines. So it was tough for me to kind of get a read on it, get a feel for his serve. I didn’t get that many chances to put returns in.

“But yeah, he did just a great job counterpunching, and I think I could have done a better job kind of neutralizing some points here and there. But credit to him with how he played and his game plan going into it.”

Kennedy may be out of the men’s singles tournament, but his time at the U.S. Open isn’t over just yet.

He confirmed that he will play junior boys singles and junior boys doubles for the third straight year. He won the doubles title last year and will defend his title with partner Keaton Hance. Main draw play for the junior tournaments begins next Sunday.

“That’s how I’ll end my junior career,” he said.

Kennedy, who has played more of a pro schedule rather than focusing on junior events this year, also is delaying his enrollment at the University of Virginia. He hopes to prove himself in the PIF ATP Next Gen Accelerator program and potentially earn a spot in the eight-player Next Gen ATP Finals, which had a $2,101,250 prize pool last year.

Wherever Kennedy’s college and professional career take him is to be determined. But Harris, who turned pro in 2015, was optimistic about the teenager’s future.

“He plays really well,” he said. “I think he has a lot of positive things. I think he plays a very positive game. He goes after the ball. He’s very aggressive. He’s very good from the baseline. He moves well.

“He’s obviously still young. I feel like I could play the important points a little bit smarter, better than him. And, obviously, I had a bigger advantage serving, so I think there was a big difference there.

“But he’s got a lot of potential, a lot of upside in the future if he gets developed correctly. He’s got the game.”