Both of the defending champions, Novak Djokovic and Coco Gauff, advanced past their night matches on Wednesday to the third round of the US Open.
Before his compatriot Laslo Djere quit early in the third set, Serbian star Novak Djokovic was given a workover throughout the first two sets. At one point, the 37-year-old even had an abdominal massage in the searing heat.
In the second set, Djere was up 4-2 when he seemed to be experiencing hip problems. Despite his best efforts to press on, he was compelled to shake hands with Djokovic, who was up 6-4 6-4 2-0.
The win enabled Djokovic to become the first tennis player, male or female, to record 90 or more career wins at all four Grand Slam events, and will now face Australian Alexei Popyrin on Friday.
“It’s not what we want. It’s not what the crowd wants, to see a walkover,” said Djokovic, during an on-court interview conducted by 2022 Wimbledon runner-up Nick Kyrgios. “But he obviously had an injury that took him out of the Tour for some time and he is struggling to come back physically to this level.
“He’s such a good player, especially in these conditions. It should’ve been his second set, honestly. It was 4-2, 15-40.
“Overall, it was a big fight. Over two hours for two sets. I served awful. So playing without the serve, you have to grind, you have to run. So I guess I had to rely on my baseline game.”
Taylor Fritz, a quarter-finalist last year, eased past former Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini of Italy 6-3 7-6 (7-1) 6-1.
The American 12th seed will next face Argentina’s Francisco Comesana, who earlier beat 17th seed Ugo Humbert.
Former finalist Casper Ruud defeated flamboyant Frenchman Gael Monfils 6-4 6-2 2-6 7-6 (7-3) in a rain-affected match to make it through to a meeting with China’s Shang Juncheng.
Defending champion Gauff roars into third round
Reigning women’s singles champion Gauff cleaned up a few early mistakes to beat unseeded German Tatjana Maria 6-4 6-0 in a lopsided meeting.
The American roared back from an error-riddled opener to sweep through the second with a New York bagel.
Her victory included an outrageous shot at the end of the first set where a volley spun so viciously it hit the umpire’s chair.
Can Gauff defend her title in New York?
Gauff is trying to become the first woman to defend her US Open singles title since Serena Williams won three years in a row from 2012-14
Gauff told interview Kyrgios: “I played well overall, I could serve better, I think it could have made the first set a lot easier.
“I am not feeling pressure, I have nothing to lose, I am 20 years old, I already have one Grand Slam under the belt, whether or not it’s this year, I have the potential to do more.”
Teen star Jovic loses thriller after medical scare
Heat exhaustion ruined Iva Jovic’s teenage dream of a third-round meeting with Aryna Sabalenka at the US Open.
American Jovic, who is 16 and the youngest player in the main draw, was a set up against 29th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova.
But in tough conditions, where the mercury was nearly 40C, the heat got the better of her midway through the second set.
Jovic, from California, earned a wild-card entry for the main draw by winning the USTA Girls’ 18s national championship, but she needed medical treatment and had her blood pressure and pulse checked.
Jovic, a semi-finalist in the Wimbledon juniors last month, re-joined the match but Alexandrova took the second set.
To her credit, Jovic came back to life and was agonisingly close to another famous victory in a topsy-turvy final-set decider.
She staved off six match points as a tie-break was on the cards before her opponent eventually claimed a 4-6 6-4 7-5 victory.
Sabalenka is waiting in the third round after last year’s finalist coasted past Lucia Bronzetti 6-3 6-1.
Tearful Azarenka battles through migraine
Victoria Azarenka said she suffered a migraine during her match against Clara Burel but the former world No 1 still managed to claim a 6-1 6-4 victory to move into the third round.
“I don’t know how I played the match. I just tried to, you know, hope that it’s going to get better a little bit,” Azarenka said in her post-match interview. “I’m wearing glasses for a reason right now. It looks probably weird and awkward on TV. But I have a chronic migraine sometimes and it couldn’t be a worse time to start it, on the match.
“It’s just tough to deal with.”
Meanwhile, Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen came from a set down to beat Erika Andreeva 6-7 (3-7) 6-1 6-2.