Polansky makes history at US Open as luckiest loser

A lucky loser is a player who has lost in the qualifying draw, but still makes it into the main draw because of a withdrawal.

How common is it to be a lucky loser in a Grand Slam tournament? To put it into perspective, no player has ever been one at three Grand Slams in a row or three in the same year. Peter Polansky has broken that record, becoming the first person to have the letters (LL) by his name for all four Grand Slams in the same year.

The Canadian lost in the third qualifying match in every Grand Slam this year. He's benefitting from the rule change that fines players for retiring during a first-round match, but still compensates them for withdrawing before the first ball is struck.

The world No. 119 has yet to take advantage of his luck, losing in the first round in each Slam so far. He's got a tough task in Alexander Zverev in the first round of the US Open on Tuesday.

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