US Open 2024: Djokovic, Gauff, and Sabalenka Advance; Zverev Battles Through

Defending champion Novak Djokovic won his 90th US Open match, becoming the first man to reach 90 wins at all four Grand Slams. He faced Laslo Djere in the second round, but Djere retired in the third set with Djokovic leading 6-4, 6-4, 2-0. Djokovic praised Djere's performance, stating it was a "big fight" that lasted over two hours for two sets. The Serbian superstar will face Australian Alexei Popyrin in the next round. In women's singles, Coco Gauff overcame her struggles on serve to beat 37-year-old Tatjana Maria 6-4, 6-0. Aryna Sabalenka also advanced, defeating Italian Lucia Bronzetti 6-3, 6-1 in an hour. Alexander Zverev, the fourth seed, battled through to the next round with a 6-4, 7-6 (7/5), 6-1 victory over France's Alexandre Muller. Fourth-seeded Alexander Zverev of Germany advanced with a 6-4, 7-6 (7/5), 6-1 victory over France's Alexandre Muller.

Key Takeaways:

• Novak Djokovic won his 90th US Open match, becoming the first man to reach 90 wins at all four Grand Slams.
• Djokovic praised Laslo Djere's performance, stating it was a "big fight" that lasted over two hours for two sets.
• Coco Gauff overcame her struggles on serve to beat 37-year-old Tatjana Maria 6-4, 6-0.
• Aryna Sabalenka defeated Italian Lucia Bronzetti 6-3, 6-1 in an hour to advance in the tournament.
• Alexander Zverev, the fourth seed, battled through to the next round with a 6-4, 7-6 (7/5), 6-1 victory over France's Alexandre Muller.
• Sixth-seeded Russian Andrey Rublev and Czech Jiri Lehecka both battled through five sets to line up a third-round meeting.
• Zheng Qinwen, the seventh-seeded Paris Olympics gold medallist, had to go the distance to beat Russian Erika Andreeva.
• Eighth-seeded Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova became the biggest upset victim of the tournament so far, bounced 6-4, 7-5 by Romanian qualifier Elena-Gabriela Ruse.

Statistics:

• Djokovic's 90th US Open match victory is the most by any man at all four Grand Slams.
• Coco Gauff put just 44 percent of her first serves in play and had nine double faults in her match against Tatjana Maria.
• Alexander Zverev served 6 aces in his match against Alexandre Muller.
• Andrey Rublev fired 15 aces in his five-set match against Arthur Rinderknech.
• Zheng Qinwen has won 13 consecutive sets in the US Open tournament so far.

Sources:

• https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/us-open-2024-djokovic-gauff-sabalenka-advance-zverev-battles-through-2024-09-06/
• https://www.espn.com/tennis/story/_/id/34651158/2024-us-open-schedule-links-reactions-updates