For any player ranked outside of the world’s top 250, qualifying for the main draw of a major is a huge deal and Choinski will ultimately take lots of satisfaction from his time in New York.
The prize money of £75,000 will also be very useful as Germany-born Choinski looks to climb back up the rankings.
However, there will also be a sense of regret at not taking his chances to claim the second major win of his career.
Having switched allegiance to Great Britain in 2019, he reached a career-high ranking of 123rd last year but has struggled for consistency this season.
But the big server with an aggressive forehand played his way into a Grand Slam first round for the first time – having previously been given wildcards to play at Wimbledon – by beating Argentina’s Pedro Cachin, France’s Valentin Vacherot and American Maxime Cressy in New York qualifying.
Choinski – whose English mother and Polish father met while attending ballet dancing school in Germany – looked to maintain his rhythm against 55th-ranked Carballes Baena.
While admitting he had “little expectation” going into Monday’s first-round match, Choinski promised he would leave everything on court. That’s what he did.
Trailing by two sets and a break, Choinski looked to be heading for a quick exit as Carballes Baena’s doggedness and ability to put lots of balls back from the baseline led him to make a flurry of wild unforced errors.
Suddenly, midway through the third set, the British player began to find his range with winners now outweighing the mistakes.
Demonstrating his physical and mental toughness, Choinski recovered from early breaks to win the third and fourth sets, levelling the match and forcing what had seemed an unlikely decider.
Carballes Baena left the court for an extended bathroom break, returning calmer and more composed as Choinski became erratic again on the way to losing in four hours and 31 minutes.
