Djokovic Matches Sampras At US Open
Novak Djokovic weathered a pesky shoulder injury and a double-break deficit to match his childhood hero at the US Open on Wednesday evening.
The top seed and defending champion beat Argentina's Juan Ignacio Londero 6-4, 7-6(3), 6-1 in Arthur Ashe Stadium to improve to 14-0 in second-round matches in Flushing Meadows. Djokovic also notched his 71st victory at the season's final Grand Slam, moving into fifth place in the Open Era and tying his former idol and five-time champion Pete Sampras.
US Open Wins Leader (Open Era)
|
Position |
Name |
W-L |
Years Played |
|
1 |
Jimmy Connors |
98-17 |
1970-89, 1991-92 |
|
2 |
Roger Federer |
86-13 |
2000-15, 2017-19 |
|
3 |
Andre Agassi |
79-19 |
1986-2006 |
|
4 |
Ivan Lendl |
73-13 |
1979-94 |
|
5 |
Pete Sampras |
71-9 |
1988-98, 2000-02 |
|
5 |
Novak Djokovic |
71-10 |
2005-16, 2018-19 |
The Serbian is going for his fourth US Open title and third Grand Slam crown of the season in New York. He will next meet the winner between American Denis Kudla or countryman and 27th seed Dusan Lajovic, who will play on Thursday after rain postponed much of Wednesday's scheduled play.
Djokovic fell behind a break in the opener but broke right back and again in the ninth game. The Serbian was bothered by his left shoulder and received treatment during the 4-3 changeover and again after the first set, yet he put it behind him to take control of their first FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting.
Londero, however, who impressed Roger Federer during their Cincinnati tangle, showed why he's close to cracking the Top 50 of the ATP Rankings at No. 56. The 26-year-old slapped forehand after forehand and raced to a double-break 3-0 lead in the second set. But Djokovic conceded nothing, making Londero earn every point from there on out as the 16-time Grand Slam champion settled in at the baseline and controlled the tie-break.
In the third, it was Djokovic who gained the double-break lead when Londero double faulted to end the fifth game. But the Serbian never let go, hitting only six unforced errors in the third compared to double-digit totals in the first (15) and second (14).
from Tennis - ATP World Tour https://ift.tt/2MJmHcJ
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