Author: Barkha Roy
In the second round of the men’s doubles at the US Open, the Dutch-Australian duo of Tallon Griekspoor and Thanasi Kokkinakis won a hard-fought 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 victory over the Portuguese-Brazilian pair of Francisco Cabral and Rafael Matos.
Griekspoor and Kokkinakis showed their prowess on the serve, hitting 10 aces with just two double faults. Their strong first serve game, with 73%, and an impressive 86% success rate on those serves, gave them a significant advantage. They took 2 out of 3 break point chances. This resilient performance ensured victory in 16 games, with a powerful service game being the basis of the conquest.
In the first round of mixed doubles play at the US Open, the team of Luisa Stefani from Brazil and Joe Salisbury from the UK, ranked fourth, faced the Americans Ben Shelton and Taylor Townsend. Despite Stefani and Salisbury’s respectable serve and efficiency on break points, they succumbed to Shelton and Townsend, losing 4-6 and 6-7.
Consistent performances from Shelton and Townsend, including an effective tiebreak game, secured the win. The Brazilian-British pair managed to win 10 games, but couldn’t match their opponents’ resistance, resulting in a very close contest, which was ultimately lost, highlighting the competitive nature of the match.
Laslo Djere is not going away! pic.twitter.com/fFzr9zitXV
– US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 2, 2023
COMEBACK MODE ENGAGED pic.twitter.com/MYzz6kornG
– US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 2, 2023
QUITE A NIGHT FOR NOVAK pic.twitter.com/Wt8d8LlkIw
– US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 2, 2023
Novak Djokovic and Laslo Djere put on quite a 5-set show 🤗 pic.twitter.com/1vlGVnq23Z
– US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 2, 2023
Meanwhile, in the men’s singles, Novak Djokovic recovered from a challenging two-set deficit to secure a 4-6, 4-6, 6-1, 6-1, 6-3 victory over Laslo Djere in the third round of the U.S. Open. This remarkable achievement prevented what could have been their first exit from the tournament since 2006. Djokovic’s win marked his eighth career comeback victory after trailing by two sets, highlighting his resilience and determination on the court. What’s more, this glory increased his impressive record to 38 wins in 49 matches that went to the fifth set throughout his career.
In his next match, Djokovic will face Croatian qualifier Borna Gojo, who has had an impressive run this week without losing a single match. Gojo, 25, booked his place in the fourth round of a major tournament for the first time by beating Czech player Jiri Vesely 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 on Friday. Gojo’s incredible performance also resulted in a significant advance in the ATP rankings, where he climbed 29 places to 76th. What’s more, his success at the last Major of the season guarantees him a place in the top 100 for the first time in his career.
Medvedev wants some of the midnight New York energy! pic.twitter.com/6dwWNB65Cc
– US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 1, 2023
Meanwhile, third seed Daniil Medvedev secured victory over Australian Christopher O’Connell with a score of 6-2, 6-2, 6-7(6), 6-2. This triumph represented a significant milestone for Medvedev, as it was his 250th win on hard court and took him into the third round of the last Major of the season. It’s worth noting that Medvedev was crowned champion of this tournament in 2021.
Remarkably, during the tie-break of the third set, Medvedev had two match points at 6/4. However, the 29-year-old O’Connell made an impressive comeback by winning four consecutive points, including two double faults from the world number three. As he continues his quest for a second major title this fortnight, Medvedev’s next challenge will be to end Sebastian Baez’s impressive run of 12 consecutive wins in their first meeting.
COCO IS COOKING NOW
She wins set 2 with a backhand winner 🔥 pic.twitter.com/olIbohidZP
– US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 2, 2023
In the women’s singles, sixth seed Coco Gauff booked her place in the last 16 of the US Open by beating Elise Mertens of Belgium 3-6, 6-3, 6-0 in the third round on Friday night. Surprisingly, this is Gauff’s second impressive comeback in the tournament, as she also recovered from a set down to beat Laura Siegemund in the first round. Gauff’s next challenge will be to face former number one Caroline Wozniacki on Sunday, with the winner earning a place in the quarter-finals.
Caroline Wozniacki battles back to take the second set from Jennifer Brady. 😤 pic.twitter.com/hxh3HGswDv
– US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 1, 2023
What an afternoon for Caroline Wozniacki! pic.twitter.com/6Z5du6Z8MP
– US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 1, 2023
Caroline Wozniacki, on the other hand, advanced to the fourth round with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 win over Jennifer Brady. This performance represents Wozniacki’s most notable achievement at a major tournament in more than five years. Wozniacki showed her efficiency by converting six of 12 break points. She had 21 winners and 25 unforced errors, while Brady’s statistics showed 24 winners and 36 unforced errors. Especially in the third set, Brady struggled with 13 unforced errors, compared to just one from Wozniacki.