‘Lucky loser’ Polansky in U.S. Open

NEW YORK — Canadian Peter Polansky has made tennis history by becoming the first player to advance to all four Grand Slams in a calendar year as a lucky loser.

Polansky, from Thornhill, Ont., was selected as a lucky loser for the main draw of the U.S. Open on Friday after losing, 7-5, 1-6, 6-3, to American Donald Young in the final round of qualifying earlier.

Polansky was the third Canadian to advance to the main draws on Friday after Montreal teen Felix Auger-Aliassime and Eugenie Bouchard of Westmount, Que., won their final qualifying matches.

They’ll join fellow Canadians Milos Raonic, Denis Shapovalov and Vasek Pospisil when the tournament begins on Monday. Shapovalov will face AugerAliassime, his friend, in a matchup of rising Canadian teen stars.

Polansky had a 50 per cent chance to get a lucky loser spot after Pablo Cuevas and Jared Donaldson withdrew.

Raonic was scheduled to play Donaldson, meaning he will now face a qualifier.

Bouchard became the lone Canadian woman to advance to the main draw with a 6-0, 6-3 win over Jamie Loeb.

Auger-Aliassime, 18, beat Gerald Melzer of Austria, 6-3, 6-0, to book a ticket to the main draw of a Grand Slam for the first time in his career. Ranked 116th in the world, Auger-Aliassime raised eyebrows at the Rogers Cup earlier this month by advancing to the second round, where he suffered a three-set tiebreak loss against Daniil Medvedev.