Struggle in the first set, not a great game, but Novak Đoković is in the third round of the U.S. Open. The best in history defeated qualifier Zachary Svajda 6:7 (5:7), 6:3, 6:3, 6:1 after two and a half hours at Arthur Ashe Stadium. His next opponent will be the winner of the match between Cameron Norrie (Great Britain) and Francisco Comesaña (Argentina).
It was a rather strange match, without much energy or tension. Whether it was because he came out on the court unusually early, Novak was far from a top-level performance. However, he managed to pick himself up after losing the first set and ultimately celebrated more or less routinely.
Everything might have been much easier if Đoković had used two break points in the first game. He didn’t succeed, and then the first set went in a completely different direction. Svajda also had two opportunities for a break in the eighth game, which Đoković neutralized.
It went into a tie-break in which one mini-break in the tenth point practically decided it. Svajda took a 6:4 lead, Novak saved the first set point, but not the second, and the qualifier unexpectedly took the set.
The American held on in the second part until the score was 2:2. Novak finally broke his serve in the sixth game. He easily kept the advantage and reached 6:3 and 1:1 in sets.
The third set was the strangest. The American began to complain of a thigh pain and asked for help from a physiotherapist. However, that did not prevent him from getting a break in the fourth game after a double fault from Đoković and taking a 3:1 lead.
It turned out that was all he had in this part of the game. He returned the gift to Novak in the next game with two big mistakes and then he was done. Đoković, although not brilliant, won four more games in a row for a 2:1 lead in sets.
The fourth set was a formality. Đoković broke in the second game, reached 3:0, and that was practically the end.
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Source: SportKlub; Photo: Printscreen X