Four-time champion Novak Djokovic overcame a mini-scare to book his place in the third round of the US Open after coming from a set down against American qualifier Zachary Svajda at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Wednesday afternoon.
Djokovic, aiming to win his first grand slam title since winning at Flushing Meadows two years ago, was far from his best in a 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-3, 6-1 victory against the young American, who required frequent treatment from the physio throughout Wednesday’s four-setter due to a problem in his left quad.
Svajda, who was evidently struggling as early as the second set, did manage to go up a break at 3-1 in the third set, but it was all Djokovic thereafter, with the Serbian winning 11 of the next 12 games to seal victory in two hours and 31 minutes.
Svajda showed plenty of promise against the 24-time grand slam champion, but his injuries struggles ultimately forced him to abandon his game in favor of a more aggressive approach. That occasionally brought some eye-catching winners, but more often than not produced wild unforced errors, allowing Djokovic to comfortably secure victory in the end.
Djokovic has now made it past the second round of every grand slam he has competed in since the Australian Open in 2017.
Taylor Fritz, who reached the final last year, also battled back from a set down on Wednesday afternoon to reach the third round, beating South Africa’s Lloyd Harris 4-6, 7-6 (3), 6-2, 6-4 in a tense battle at Louis Armstrong Stadium.
Meanwhile, Britain’s Jack Draper, the fifth seed and a semi-finalist at last year’s US Open, has withdrawn from this year’s competition ahead of a second-round clash with Zizou Bergs on Thursday.
Draper, who had been nursing an arm injury before the tournament, had come through a testing first-round match against Argentine qualifier Federico Agustin Gomez but announced his withdrawal on Wednesday afternoon.
Casper Ruud, the 12th seed and three-time slam finalist, suffered a shock second-round exit after losing in five sets against Belgium’s Raphael Collignon in the afternoon session. Ruud, a US Open finalist in 2022, had battled down from a set down to lead 2-1, but ultimately fell to a 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 5-7 defeat at Court 17.
In the women’s draw, 2024 finalist and home favorite Jessica Pegula made short work of her round-two clash with Anna Blinkova, securing a comfortable 6-1, 6-3 victory in an hour and 20 minutes.
Her compatriot Emma Navarro, a semi-finalist last year, also enjoyed a comfortable afternoon on Wednesday, defeating Caty McNally 6-2, 6-1 in an all-American affair at Grandstand.
Former champion Emma Raducanu continued her comfortable passage through the draw with a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Janice Tjen after recording an equally convincing victory over Ena Shibahara in the opening round on Sunday.
