Djokovic and Gauff, Defending Champions Advance in Steamy US Open Matches

Photo : AFP

NEW YORK: On Wednesday, defending champion Novak Djokovic progressed to the third round of the US Open after Laslo Djere retired in the third set of their match, leaving Djokovic with a 6-4, 6-4, 2-0 lead. Despite the victory, Djokovic acknowledged that he would need to raise his level of play if he hopes to claim his fifth title on the hard courts of New York.

The match was a hard-fought contest, with both players requiring medical attention during the encounter at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Djokovic, who clinched the first set 6-4 after an intense hour, then received treatment for a discomfort on his right side. Djere, who was the only player to take a set off Djokovic in last year’s US Open, managed to break Djokovic's serve and took a 4-2 lead in the second set. However, Djere couldn’t capitalize on two additional break points, allowing Djokovic to win the next six games. Djere sought treatment for an abdominal issue before Djokovic closed out the second set, but the Serbian star had to grind through the match, particularly struggling with his serve.

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Djokovic reflected on the match, saying, "It was a big fight — over two hours for two sets. I served awful. So playing without the serve, you have to grind, you have to run. I had to rely on my baseline game." Despite the challenges, Djokovic notched his 90th US Open match victory, making him the first man to reach 90 wins at all four Grand Slam tournaments. Djokovic's next opponent will be Australian Alexei Popyrin, whom he has already defeated this year at both the Australian Open and Wimbledon.

In the women’s draw, defending champion Coco Gauff overcame some difficulties on serve to secure a 6-4, 6-0 victory over 37-year-old Tatjana Maria. The match was uneven for the 20-year-old Gauff, who has had an up-and-down season since winning her first major in New York last year. She struggled with her serve, putting just 44% of her first serves in play and committing nine double faults. Nevertheless, the 99th-ranked Maria was unable to take advantage, and Gauff won the last seven games to seal the win. Gauff later remarked, "I think I played well overall. I think if I could have served better that first set would have been a lot easier."

Both Djokovic and Gauff managed to avoid the worst of the steamy conditions that plagued the day’s play, which led tournament organizers to invoke the extreme weather rule, allowing for mid-match breaks. Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka, last year’s US Open runner-up, didn’t need a break as she efficiently dispatched Italian Lucia Bronzetti 6-3, 6-1 in just an hour. Sabalenka said, "I told myself you have to stay focused from the first point to the last point and make sure you’re not going to stay here a crazy number of hours."

Fourth-seeded Alexander Zverev of Germany also advanced, defeating France’s Alexandre Muller 6-4, 7-6 (7/5), 6-1. Zverev expressed relief at finishing in three sets, citing the challenging conditions, "I am happy to be done in three sets, to have some rest as it is very hot and tough conditions."

Elsewhere, in a grueling battle, Argentina’s Tomas Etcheverry managed to overcome compatriot Francisco Cerundolo in a five-set match that lasted over four hours. Etcheverry, who fired 23 aces, admitted that his efforts to stay hydrated backfired, leading to him vomiting during the match, "You had to hydrate well, try to take as many salts and hydrates as possible, and I overdid it."

Sixth-seeded Russian Andrey Rublev and Czech Jiri Lehecka also endured five-set battles to set up a third-round meeting. Rublev, a four-time US Open quarterfinalist, came from two sets down to beat France’s Arthur Rinderknech 4-6, 5-7, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2. Meanwhile, Lehecka outlasted American Mitchell Krueger 6-7 (5/7), 0-6, 6-4, 6-4, 7-5. Rublev humorously mentioned that he drank so much water during the match that he felt like he had "a baby" in his stomach.

In other notable results, seventh-seeded Paris Olympics gold medalist Zheng Qinwen had to battle from a set down for the second consecutive match to defeat Russian Erika Andreeva 6-7 (3/7), 6-1, 6-2. However, the tournament saw its biggest upset so far with eighth-seeded Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova being knocked out by Romanian qualifier Elena-Gabriela Ruse, who secured a 6-4, 7-5 victory.