US Open: Djokovic racks up 90th tournament win, Gauff shines under lights

Aug. 29, 2024, 4:23 a.m.

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Reigning champion Novak Djokovic extended his US Open winning streak to 90 matches on Wednesday, defeating fellow Serbian Laslo Djere, who was forced to retire in the third set of their second-round encounter.

Djokovic, a four-time champion at the tournament and chasing a record 25th Grand Slam title, was ahead 6-4, 6-4, 2-0 when Djere withdrew from the match.

The competitor, who pushed his fellow countryman to five sets in New York last year, required a medical break to address an injury after losing the second set.

Advertisement The 37-year-old Djokovic himself needed attention from the trainer after capturing the first set, seemingly for a side strain.

World number two Djokovic now holds the distinction of being the only player to have achieved 90 wins at all four Grand Slams.

“It’s not what we want to see when there’s a retirement. Laslo had an injury which took him off the tour for some time and he’s been struggling to come back,” said Djokovic.

“He’s such a good player in these conditions and the second set should have been his, he was 4-2 up.

“I don’t know if (my) winning the second set probably put more burden on him.”

Djokovic will next meet Australia’s Alexei Popyrin who he defeated at the Australian Open and Wimbledon this year.

Coco Gauff returns a shot to Tatjana Maria during a second round match of the US Open. AP The night session began with defending women’s champion Coco Gauff beating 37-year-old Tatjana Maria 6-4, 6-0.

It was an inconsistent performance from the 20-year-old Gauff, who has experienced a fluctuating season since achieving her maiden major title in New York.

She put just 44 percent of her first serves in play and had nine double faults, but the 99th-ranked Maria couldn’t capitalise and Gauff won the last seven games to seal the win.

“I think I played well overall,” Gauff said. “I think if I could have served better that first set would have been a lot easier.”

Advertisement Djokovic, at the age of 37, had remarked after the first round that while he enjoys the excitement of night matches, he could benefit from an earlier bedtime.

But he could be relieved to avoid the worst of the heat on a sweltering day that saw tournament organizers implement the extreme weather rule, allowing players in long matches to take breaks when feeling distressed.

Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka, runner-up to Gauff last year, didn’t have to take advantage, polishing off Italian Lucia Bronzetti 6-3, 6-1 in an hour.

The world number two from Belarus, aiming to become the first woman since Angelique Kerber in 2016 to win both hard court Grand Slam titles in the same year, said she was determined to make it a swift victory.

Advertisement “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,” Sabalenka said.

Seventh-seeded Paris Olympics gold medalist Zheng Qinwen had to battle hard, overcoming a set deficit for the second match in a row to advance to the third round with a 6-7 (3-7), 6-1, 6-2 win over Russian Erika Andreeva.

Eighth-seeded Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova suffered a surprising early exit from the tournament, falling 6-4, 7-5 to Romanian qualifier Elena-Gabriela Ruse.

‘Amazing tennis’

In men’s action, fourth-seeded Alexander Zverev of Germany advanced on cue with a 6-4, 7-6 (7/5), 6-1 victory over France’s Alexandre Muller.

Advertisement “I thought he played some amazing tennis. Especially at the end of the second set, I thought he was the better player than me,” Zverev said. “I am happy to be done in three sets, to have some rest as it is very hot and tough conditions.”

Zverev next faces Argentina’s Tomas Etcheverry, who appeared to be feeling the heat when he vomited on court during his 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 victory over compatriot Francisco Cerundolo.

Etcheverry unleashed 23 aces, ultimately securing victory after over four hours of play.

“The conditions were very difficult, honestly,” Etcheverry said. “We were expecting them, but the temperature was 38 degrees and to that we have to add another four degrees inside the court.

Advertisement “You had to hydrate well, try to take as many salts and hydrates as possible and I overdid it, that’s why I ended up vomiting.

“It’s dangerous not only for the players, but also for the public,” he added.

Sixth-seeded Russian Andrey Rublev and Czech Jiri Lehecka both endured grueling five-set matches, setting up a third-round encounter.

Rublev, a four-time US Open quarter-finalist, beat France’s Arthur Rinderknech 4-6, 5-7, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 while Lehecka out-lasted American Mitchell Krueger 6-7 (5/7), 0-6, 6-4, 6-4, 7-5.

Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk had little energy to celebrate her 7-6 (12/10), 6-1 victory over Britain’s Harriet Dart, making her way to her courtside chair and re-applying ice packs to her head and neck.