He will be number one in the ATP no matter what happens in the rest of the tournament
Will face Taylor Fritz, nine in the world and one of three Americans in the round of eight
On Friday, with the comeback from two sets down against his compatriot Laslo Djere, Novak Djokovic He reminded his rivals that at 36 he is capable of fighting the most demanding battles and continuing to emerge victorious. This Sunday, atBorna Gojoopted for another easier path: the efficiency and precision.
In less than two and a half hours, the Serbian beat the Croatian 6-2, 7-5 and 6-4, ranked 105 in the world that came from the previous phase. And in search for his fourth New York title, and his 24th bigNole returns to quarterswhere on Tuesday he will start again as a favorite against Taylor Fritz, number nine in the world and one of the three Americans who have reached the round, something that has not been seen since 2005 and that guarantees a local semifinalist.
Djokovic took to the track with the clear determination not to have to do another feat, focused on neutralize Gojo’s powerful serve and winnersa player of 25 years and 1.96 meters tall who in the three previous games, against the numbers 437, 40 and 147 in the world, had added 38 direct aces and only two double faults, had not given up a single set and had only dropped two games on his serve. And she soon reminded him that measuring himself against a champion who will dawn again at number 1 in the world next Monday is different.
Djokovic gave himself a walk in the first set. And although his rival raised the level and pressure in the next two, forcing Nole to sweat his shirt even more than the intense heat and humidity that persisted in the night session, the strategy and the game did not give an option to gojowhich also missed opportunities to take a turn In the second set, after having managed to break Djokovic, he committed five double faults and let his advantage slip away. And at the end of the game, although he had 40 winners, he equated them with as many unforced errors.
The Croatian will at least have the consolation that his journey in New York puts him in the top 100 best in the world for the first time (it will be number 76). While, for Djokovic, the road continues.