![\"Hon](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/506bc65f62a5eb4b675633321f83ef454703c088.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n\u201cIt\u2019s my favourite slam, apart from the Australian Open, so I can\u2019t be much happier right now,\u201d Hon said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love New York \u2013 everything about it. The fans, everyone who comes to watch; there\u2019s so much energy, and it\u2019s so chaotic, and there\u2019s so much happening. But I\u2019d way rather that than just silence, so there\u2019s something about it that gives me a lot of energy, and it makes me want to do well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hon, whose win gives her a shot at surpassing her career-high ranking of No.118, also qualified at Wimbledon two months ago.<\/p>\n
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Hon believes she could be among the top 30 players in the world.Credit: Getty Images<\/p>\n
However, the Queenslander revealed to this masthead that a frank conversation during her run from qualifying at last year\u2019s US Open to a first-round date with Aryna Sabalenka felt like the turning point in her solid but unremarkable career.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of my best friends, who was there with me, was like, \u2018Come on, Pri, you can do this\u2019, and I\u2019m like, \u2018I know I can\u2019 \u2013 and for her to hear me say that was huge because I would never say that before,\u201d Hon said.<\/p>\n
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\u201cI feel like Aussies in general are very humble people, and we don\u2019t like to say this stuff \u2026 but I think that was a really big step for me, even to say that out loud.\u201d<\/p>\n
That statement from Hon, who readily admits that self-doubt has riddled her career, opened the floodgates. Now, she thinks her best tennis is still to come, five years after a doctor told her a serious hip injury might force her to quit tennis.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think I can definitely be top 30. Hopefully, I can do that before my career ends,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHonestly, even last year at the US Open, I feel like there were moments where I believed it, and every day there are always doubts \u2013 not just in tennis, but in life, with everyone \u2013 and not letting those feelings take over the positives is huge.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to be way past top 100. I don\u2019t want that to be the goal \u2026 top 100 is not even really in my head. It would be great, obviously, but I want to do a lot more than that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Walton, a former college tennis standout at the University of Tennessee, kicked-started the North American hardcourt swing by reaching the semi-finals in Los Cabos.<\/p>\n
![\"Adam](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/63d837b52bfba488eb2f4d8fef3a595dfb8b7f99.jpeg\")
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Adam Walton upset seeded rival Ugo Humbert to continue his strong form.Credit: Getty Images<\/p>\n
The 26-year-old then pushed Alexander Zverev in a tight second-round clash at the Toronto Masters before upsetting Daniil Medvedev on his way to the last 32 at the Cincinnati Masters.<\/p>\n
The Humbert win continued that form, and vaults Walton to No.74 in the live rankings, which would be a new high for him if he maintains it. He has a big chance to advance to the third round at a major for the first time when he meets Hong Kong qualifier and world No.176 Coleman Wong.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt a slam, to beat a seeded player [is a big deal], and it\u2019s a first win, and you take great confidence in doing so,\u201d Walton said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve had a great American summer. I feel more comfortable being back on the hardcourts, and I\u2019m just glad that this American summer I\u2019ve really been able to capitalise on some good matches and [have] some good wins.\u201d<\/p>\n
Aleks Vukic, James Duckworth and wildcard Talia Gibson were not so fortunate.<\/p>\n
Vukic lost a five-set thriller to American Jenson Brooksby, 6-3, 6-7 (4-7), 6-4, 3-6, 6-4; Duckworth went down 7-5, 6-3, 6-4 to local wildcard Tristan Boyer, and Gibson suffered a 6-2, 6-2 defeat to Polish 28th seed Magdalena Frech.<\/p>\n
with AAP<\/p>\n
Watch every match of the US Open live and on demand on Stan Sport, with select coverage also available on Channel 9 and 9Now.<\/p>\n