Novak Djokovic, Iga Swiatek ease through

NEW YORK, August 31

It was business as usual at the US Open on Wednesday with Novak Djokovic and Iga Swiatek marching confidently into the third round.

There were plenty of cheers rolling across the sprawling Billie Jean King National Tennis Center all day with Coco Gauff, Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe moving on, as hopes of a homegrown winner continued to build.

Earlier, Swiss young gun Dominic Stricker delivered a shock by grinding out a 7-5 6-7(2) 6-7(5) 7-6(6) 6-3 win over Greek seventh seed Stefanos Tsitsipas for his first top-10 win.

Djokovic was prevented from playing in last year’s US Open due to being unvaccinated against Covid-19 but has looked right at home on Arthur Ashe Stadium court.

A nine-time finalist at Flushing Meadows, the Serb was in ruthless form as he rolled to a second straight dominating win, brushing aside Spain’s Bernabe Zapata Miralles 6-4 6-1 6-1.

Djokovic remains on course for a fourth US Open title that would pull him level with Margaret Court’s record haul of 24 Grand Slams.

More accustomed to the bright lights of the New York night session, the Serbian star instead absorbed the muggy midday August heat, firing off 35 winners to set up a meeting with compatriot Laslo Djere in the third round.

“It has been a tough match especially in the first set with the conditions,” said Djokovic, who added that he was able to find his rhythm once the searing sun gave way to a late afternoon shadow across the court.

“I didn’t start off the match very well but the second and third sets have been at least a couple of levels higher.”

Swiatek has also impressed but the defending champion was made to work for a 6-3 6-4 win over Australian spark plug Daria Saville, who is fighting her way back to fitness from injury that has seen her ranking tumble to No. 322.

Sixth seed Gauff warmed up the home crowd early when the teenager beat Mirra Andreeva 6-3 6-3, before handing the baton to the US men.

It has been 20 years and 78 Grand Slams since Andy Roddick won the 2003 US Open and hopes of an American man ending that drought have fallen largely on the shoulders of Tiafoe and Fritz.

Tiafoe did not shrink under the evening spotlight, the 10th seed downing Austrian Sebastian Ofner 6-3 6-1 6-4, before ninth seeded Fritz cruised past Peru’s Juan Pablo Varillas 6-1 6-2 6-2.

They were joined in the next round by Tommy Paul but only after the 14th seed battled back from two sets down to get past Russian Roman Safiullin 3-6 2-6 6-2 6-4 6-3. — Reuters

Never say never again

Caroline Wozniacki claimed the biggest win of her comeback and a spot in the third round of the US Open as the Dane’s Grand Slam adventure continued with an 7-5 7-6(5) upset of 11th seed Petra Kvitova. Twice a finalist at Flushing Meadows, Wozniacki was back on the stage she has graced so many times against a familiar foe in front of an adoring crowd under the Arthur Ashe Stadium lights. Having retired in 2020 to raise a family and playing in just her third event since returning to action Wozniacki turned back the clock to come out on top in the battle of 33-year-old Grand Slam champions. “I’ve been feeling very comfortable here in New York in general,” said Wozniacki. “Ever since I arrived here, it’s just something about the courts, everything else, that have made me feel good. I’m just so thrilled to have an opportunity to play out on Arthur Ashe Stadium.” Reuters

Super Zhang

Zhang Zhizhen became the first Chinese man to beat a top-five opponent since the introduction of the ATP rankings in 1973 by stunning last year’s runner-up Casper Ruud 6-4 5-7 6-2 0-6 6-2 in the second round. Zhang, ranked 67th in the world, had come through another five-setter to beat American JJ Wolf in his opener and showed similar resolve against world No. 5 Ruud en route to securing the biggest victory of his career. Zhang was blanked by Ruud in the fourth sets but said he never lost hope. “I believed in myself. If not, the fifth set was going to be a different result,” he said. “I was a little bit tired for few days already. I had some sort of pain. I tried to be calm for the whole match. At the end of the match, finished the last point, I didn’t really celebrate like, not super happy. But I was happy inside, it just didn’t show.”

Bopanna-Ebden make winning start

India’s Rohan Bopanna and Australia’s Matthew Ebden advanced to the second round of the men’s doubles competition with a straight-set win over Christopher O’Connell and Aleksandar Vukic. The sixth seeds brushed aside the Australian duo 6-4 6-2.

AZARENKA OUSTED, THIEM WITHDRAWS

China’s Lin Zhu stunned twice Grand Slam winner and 18th seed Victoria Azarenka in the second round with a 6-3 6-3 victory. Former US Open champion Dominic Thiem of Austria withdrew against American Ben Shelton, who had won the first set and the first game of the second in their second round match.