UNITED STATES: Novak Djokovic and Iga Swiatek advanced into the third round of the US Open, but shocking upsets eliminated Casper Ruud and Petra Kvitova. Coco Gauff, Taylor Fritz, and Frances Tiafoe advanced, causing applause at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Centre, as expectations for a native victor increased.
The final Grand Slam of the year saw unexpected surprises, with Zhang Zhizhen becoming the first Chinese man to defeat a top-five opponent since 1973. Caroline Wozniacki also achieved the biggest triumph of her comeback by defeating 11th seed Petra Kvitova 7-5, 7-6(5). Despite most results matching the form book, the event was a surprise.
Swiss rising star Dominic Stricker won his maiden top-10 triumph against Greek seventh seed Stefanos Tsitsipas. Djokovic, who missed last year’s US Open as he was not vaccinated against COVID-19, returned to the Arthur Ashe Stadium court and cruised to a second straight victory, defeating Spain’s Bernabe Zapata Miralles 6-4 6-1 6-1.
Djokovic is still on track to tie Margaret Court’s record of 24 Grand Slam victories with a fourth US Open victory. Swiatek has also made an impression, but the defending champion had to work hard to defeat Australian star Daria Saville, who is battling to recover from an injury that has dropped her to position 322.
Wozniacki won a match against 33-year-old Grand Slam champions despite retiring in 2020. She only competed in three events since her return. Wozniacki’s last top-20 match was at the 2018 WTA Finals. She expressed joy at playing at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Gauff, the seventh seed, defeated Mirra Andreeva 6-3, 6-3. American players Tiafoe and Fritz have been key to American men winning the US Open, with Tiafoe defeating Austrian Sebastian Ofner and Fritz defeating Peru’s Juan Pablo Varillas.
The 14th seed defeated Russian Roman Safiullin, followed by Tommy Paul. Dominic Thiem retired due to illness, allowing American Ben Shelton to advance to the third round. Thiem choked after losing the first set tie-break.
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