Djokovic marches on in his quest for his 25th Grand Slam title and the American players shine on a hot third day in New York.
Defending champion Coco Gauff and 12th seed Taylor Fritz capped a great day at Flushing Meadows for the home hopefuls, while several Americans advanced to the third round of the US Open in tennis.
Gauff made up for early mistakes to defeat unseeded German Tatjana Maria 6-4, 6-0. After her victory at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Wednesday evening, she will now face 2019 semifinalist Elina Switolina of Ukraine.
“It was a tricky match. I mean, she’s not someone you play against sometimes and feel great afterward,” Gauff said. “It was all about execution.”
Build momentum ⏩️@CocoGauff defeats Maria 6-4, 6-0 and storms into the 3rd round of the #USOpen! pic.twitter.com/J6mvVJNnHh
— wta-sports (@WTA) 29 August 2024
In the men’s singles, Novak Djokovic remained on track to win his record 25th Grand Slam title after fellow Serbian Laslo Djere was forced to retire from their second-round match with the score at 4-6, 4-6, 0-2.
The world number 109, who forced his compatriot into five sets in New York last year, had needed a medical timeout to treat an injury shortly before conceding the second set.
The 37-year-old Djokovic himself needed a visit from his trainer after winning the first set because of an apparent strain in his side.
“That’s not what we want to see, when someone gives up. Laslo had an injury that kept him off the tour for some time and he’s struggling to come back,” Djokovic said.
“He is such a good player under these conditions and the second set should have been his, he was leading 4-2.
“I don’t know if (my) winning the second set is a bigger burden for him.”
It was Djokovic’s 90th US Open victory, making him the first man to reach that total at all four Grand Slams. He will next face Australian Alexei Popyrin, whom he defeated at the Australian Open and Wimbledon this year, with both matches going to four sets.
9⃣0⃣ wins at every Grand Slam for Novak! pic.twitter.com/F9Wiy59a50
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) 29 August 2024
American stars shine
Later at Louis Armstrong Stadium, Fritz closed the match with a convincing 6-3 7-6(1) 6-1 victory over Italian Matteo Berrettini, satisfied with his level after a nervous opening match against Camilo Ugo Carabelli.
“I approached the matter with real concentration. I felt like I had every point under control, which really annoyed me in my first-round match,” said Fritz.
“I was just ready to go. Matteo is an extremely good player, a super tough second round. So I went in extra focused.”
Hard-hitting Frances Tiafoe and former finalist Madison Keys did their best to support the American attack earlier in the day.
Tiafoe, who reached the semifinals in New York in 2022 and finished runner-up in his last preparation tournament this year, was in full control when Kazakhstan’s Alexander Shevchenko retired at 6-4, 6-1, 1-0.
“I’m glad it worked out. I hate winning like this, but overall I think I actually played pretty well today,” Tiafoe said after a stress-free win in which he changed shirts five times.
He will next play against fellow 21-year-old Ben Shelton, who thrilled the home crowd with his run to the semifinals last year and had no trouble in the stands defeating Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.
Left-hander Shelton hit 17 aces and defeated Bautista Agut with 60 winners, taking advantage of the home crowd’s exuberant mood despite the oppressive heat.
Meanwhile, Madison Keys, making her 13th appearance in the main draw of the US Open, beat Australia’s Maya Joint 6-4, 6-0. She struck first when she converted her third break point opportunity to take a 4-3 lead and win the first set on serve.
The 29-year-old American opened the second round with another break and sprinted across the finish line in 62 minutes.
