Aug. 31 (UPI) — Novak Djokovic, Iga Swiatek, and Coco Gauff made impressive progress, while Casper Ruud and Stefanos Tsitsipas faced surprising upsets in the second round of the 2023 U.S. Open in Flushing, N.Y.
In his second-round match at Arthur Ashe Stadium, Djokovic demonstrated his dominance with five aces, successful conversion of 6 out of 11 break points, and 35 winners in a 6-4, 6-1, 6-1 victory over unranked Spaniard David Zapata Mirales.
“I’m extremely satisfied with my performance on the court,” Djokovic stated to reporters. “Though there’s always room for improvement. In the first two rounds, I’ve been able to maintain a solid play. Hopefully, I can keep building on that.”
Next, the No. 2 men’s player will face fellow Serbian Laslo Djere, who is ranked No. 38, in the third round.
American players Taylor Fritz (No. 9), Frances Tiafoe (No. 10), and Tommy Paul (No. 14) also showcased their skills and advanced to the next stage of the Grand Slam tournament.
Fritz delivered an impressive performance, defeating Juan Pablo Varillas (No. 74) in a swift match that lasted 1 hour and 41 minutes. Fritz’s emphatic victory included 10 aces, 26 winners, and six breaks of Varillas’ serve in a 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 win at Louis Armstrong Stadium.
Tiafoe secured a solid win against Sebastian Ofner (No. 58) of Australia with a score of 6-3, 6-1, 6-4 in a match that lasted 1 hour and 32 minutes. Tiafoe capitalized on five out of six break point opportunities.
Paul showcased his resilience by overcoming Roman Safiullin (No. 60) of Russia in an intense 3-hour and 12-minute second-round match. Paul delivered 10 aces, 43 winners, and secured five breaks of Safiullin’s serve in a 3-6, 2-6, 6-2, 6-4, 6-3 victory.
If Paul and Tiafoe continue their winning streak, they may potentially face each other in the quarterfinals. Paul’s next match will be against No. 21 Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, while Tiafoe will face No. 47 Ben Shelton of the United States.
Shelton advanced to the third round after No. 81 Dominic Thiem of Australia retired from their second-round match.
Ruud faced disappointment as he exited the tournament after a tough 3-hour and 19-minute battle against Zhizhen Zhang (No. 67) of China. Zhang claimed victory with 18 aces and 60 winners, defeating the No. 5 Norwegian with a score of 6-4, 5-7, 6-2, 0-6, 6-2.
Tsitsipas also experienced defeat in one of the longest matches of the day. No. 128 Dominic Stricker of Switzerland emerged victorious in a four-hour and four-minute battle, winning with a score of 7-5, 6(2)-7, 6(5)-7, 7-6(6), 6-3. Stricker delivered an impressive performance with 79 winners, while Tsitsipas managed 22 aces but recorded 42 unforced errors.
On the women’s side, top players Iga Swiatek (No. 1), Elena Rybakina (No. 4), Coco Gauff (No. 6), Karolina Muchova (No. 10), and Belinda Bencic (No. 13) advanced to the next round.
Swiatek secured her victory with two aces, successful conversion of 5 out of 6 break points, and 23 winners in a 6-3, 6-4 triumph. Rybakina advanced to the next round by walkover after her opponent, Ajla Tomljanovic (No. 127) of Australia, had to withdraw from the tournament.
Gauff displayed her dominance as she swiftly defeated Mirra Andreeva (No. 63) of Russia in just 76 minutes. Gauff recorded 24 winners and successfully converted 4 out of 5 break points in her commanding 6-3, 6-2 victory.
“I was focused on taking advantage of my lead and continuing to play aggressively,” Gauff stated. “I’m thrilled with my straight-sets win.”
Muchova secured a straight-sets victory against Magdalena Frech (No. 77) of Poland with a score of 6-3, 6-3, while Bencic defeated Yuriko Miyazaki (No. 198) of the United Kingdom with a matching score of 6-3, 6-3 on Court 5.
Day 3 of the U.S. Open witnessed a major upset as Petra Kvitova (No. 11) of the Czech Republic was defeated by Caroline Wozniacki (No. 623) in a hard-fought match that lasted 2 hours and 8 minutes. Wozniacki emerged victorious with a score of 7-5, 7-6(5), displaying strong gameplay with just 13 unforced errors compared to Kvitova’s 40.
On Day 4, top men’s players Carlos Alcaraz (No. 1), Daniil Medvedev (No. 3), Jannik Sinner (No. 6), and Andrey Rublev (No. 8) are set to compete in Flushing. Additionally, top women’s players Aryna Sabalenka (No. 2), Jessica Pegula (No. 3), Ons Jabeur (No. 5), and Marketa Vondrousova (No. 9) have second-round matches scheduled.
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