A Breakthrough in New York

The US Open has always been one of the biggest stages in tennis, so to win a first quad singles match in New York — and to do it against the No.4 seed — is something Jin will never forget.

It capped off a season that, on paper, shouldn't have produced a Grand Slam quarter-finalist at all.

From injury to the US Open

At the start of the year, nobody could have predicted how Jin's season would unfold. By September, he had played his first Australian Open, won his first professional ITF title, fought back from a serious injury, reached the semi-finals in Geneva and the final in College Park — and arrived in New York ready for the biggest tournament of his career so far.

The turning point came earlier in the year. After the Australian summer tournaments, Jin was due to travel to Korea and Japan to keep building his season. Instead, he fell from his day chair at home and fractured his femur.

Tennis stopped overnight.

Being ruled out for an extended period was hard on Jin, who had to watch from the sidelines while his rivals kept competing. His family, school and coaches leaned in hard during that stretch, reminding him constantly that he'd be back on court and that rushing the recovery would only cost him more time in the long run.

He listened. And in July, he returned to competition in Brisbane, playing both the junior and open-age events — and winning both. Claiming the senior title gave him his first professional ITF title and a serious confidence boost after months of rehab.

From there, the momentum snowballed: a semi-final in Geneva, a final in College Park, and a run of eight wins from his last ten matches heading into New York.

BACK ON THE GRAND SLAM STAGE

The US Open carried extra weight for Jin — it's where he made his Grand Slam debut in the junior event back in 2024. This time, he lined up in the senior quad singles draw against some of the best players in the world, and the draw didn't do him any favours: fourth seed Ahmet Kaplan, the same player who'd beaten him in the Australian Open quarter-finals earlier in the year.

Rather than see it as a bad break, Jin and his coaches saw an opportunity. In the months since Australia, they'd gone back through the match footage together, pinpointed exactly what needed to improve, and put in the work.

It paid off. Jin came out firing, taking the first set 6-1. Kaplan hit back to level things at 6-4, but Jin stayed composed under pressure and closed out the decider 6-2 to book his spot in the quarter-finals — his first at Grand Slam level. It was a result that showed just how much of the post-Australia work had paid off.

Testing himself against Andy Lapthorne

The quarter-final brought a familiar face: Andy Lapthorne, a player Jin had looked up to since he first started on the senior tour, and one who'd beaten him 6-0, 6-0 back in 2023. But the gap between them had closed since then — Jin beat Lapthorne in straight sets earlier this year at the Victorian Wheelchair Open, so he arrived knowing a result was possible if he played his best tennis.

It turned into a battle. Jin dropped the first set 6-4, hit back to take the second 6-4, and forced a decider — before Lapthorne raised his level to close out the match 6-1 and advance to the semi-finals.

The loss stung, but the bigger picture told a different story: a few months earlier, Jin had been at home recovering from a fractured femur, unsure when he'd play again. Now he was competing in a Grand Slam quarter-final in New York.

A doubles semi-final alongside Greg Slade

Singles wasn't the only highlight. Partnering Greg Slade in the quad doubles, Jin made it through to the semi-finals — his first US Open senior doubles campaign, and another deep run in a major draw.

Looking ahead

Jin left New York disappointed not to have gone further in the singles, but motivated by what the tournament confirmed: he belongs on this stage, and the progress over the past twelve months has been enormous. A year ago he was playing in the junior event at the US Open. This year, he reached a Grand Slam quarter-final and a doubles semi-final against the best senior quad players in the world.

The season isn't over yet, and there's plenty more Jin wants to achieve. But from injury and recovery, to a first professional title, to a breakthrough run in New York — it's been a season to be proud of.