Novak Djokovic has qualified for the quarterfinals of the US Open. The 23-time Grand Slam champion defeated Croatian Borna Gojo in three sets: 6-2 7-5 6-4.
The 36-year-old Serbian tennis player, the number two in the world, will face the American Taylor Fritz, ninth in the world ranking, next Tuesday for a place in the semifinals. The two have already met seven times, and Djokovic has not lost a duel.
Djokovic made only twelve unnecessary mistakes during his match against Gojo, compared to the Croat’s forty. He managed to break the service of the normally strong serving Gojo no less than five times. ,,I knew that Borna is a strong player, with powerful strokes, especially his serve and forehand, which are great weapons; and he moves pretty well for such a big guy,” Djokovic said after the game. ,,The key in the game was trying to neutralize his serve. I’m glad I got through without losing a set.”
Djokovic was missing in New York last year. He was not allowed to enter the United States at the time because he has not been vaccinated against the corona virus.
Impressive return
For Danish tennis star Caroline Wozniacki, her impressive comeback in New York came to an end in the fourth round. She held on for a long time against the American favorite Coco Gauff, but she had to retire after three sets: 6-3 3-6 6-1.
Wozniacki made her first grand slam appearance in 3.5 years. The 33-year-old Danish said goodbye to the Australian Open in 2020 and had two children. This summer, the former number one in the world decided to make her comeback. In New York she won, among others, against the eleventh-seeded Czech Petra Kvitová.
Gauff spoke of Wozniacki with admiration afterwards. ,,It seems as if Caroline has never been away. She is a huge inspiration. When I was little I was in awe of her. It was an honor to play against her,” she said. Gauff will play in the quarterfinals against the winner of the match between the Polish title defender Iga Swiatek and the Latvian Jelena Ostapenko.
First quarterfinalist
Czech tennis star Karolina Muchova qualified first for the quarterfinals of the US Open earlier in the day. The 27-year-old number 10 on the seeding list won her match in the fourth round of the grand slam in three sets against the Chinese Wang Xinyu: 6-3 5-7 6-1.
Muchova and Wang Xinyu spent more than 2.5 hours on the track in the heat. It was over 30 degrees in New York. “I’m glad it’s over. It is quite warm today,” said Muchova, who was in the final of Roland Garros in June and lost to the Polish Iga Swiatek.
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