Tennis: Novak Djokovic advances into third round, Wozniacki eliminated from US Open
Fri Aug 31, 2018 09:26:am Sports
3.8K By Obiaks Blog
Two-times former champion Novak Djokovic overcame a lapse in concentration to beat unseeded American Tennys Sandgren 6-1 6-3 6-7 6-2 and reach the third round of the US Open on Thursday.
Djokovic, who was also pushed to four sets in punishing daytime temperatures above 90 Fahrenheit (32C) in the first round, was far more comfortable in the evening at the Arthur Ashe Stadium, breaking early and running away with the opening set in 31 minutes.
"I thought I played really well in the first two sets and then I lost it mentally," the Serb said courtside. "I lost my composure and concentration but I got it back in the fourth."
Djokovic also spoke about the noise from the crowd both between and during points but said it had not been a factor in him losing concentration.
"I was just referring to the atmosphere that the night session at the US Open has," the sixth seed told reporters.
"I've played many times here. It has no connection to my loss of concentration. It was just me, being me sometimes, the other me that my first me doesn't like.
"You just have to accept it. You can't expect that 23,000 people are quiet. Wimbledon is all white, it's tradition. You can't hear a sound when you play a point. Here it's different. That's why these majors are unique in their own way."
The Serb, who won Wimbledon this year, will face 26th seed Richard Gasquet of France in the third round.
- Wozniacki eliminated -
Second seed Caroline Wozniacki was eliminated from the US Open on Thursday night, joining top seed Simona Halep on the side-lines.
Like Halep's first-round loss to Kaia Kanepi, Wozniacki could have no complaints after being well beaten by Ukraine's Lesia Tsurenko 6-4 6-2.
The Dane said: "I started off pretty well, then I think I played well in parts of the first set, just trying to stay aggressive. But she was playing smarter than me. She played the game that I was supposed to be playing."
After breaking her grand slam duck in Melbourne after so many years of trying, it has not been a great season for Wozniacki, barring a title in Eastbourne in June.
She has failed to go beyond the fourth round at any of the three slams since, with this defeat following a second-round loss against Ekaterina Makarova at Wimbledon.
Wozniacki said: "This part of the season is usually a part of the season I really look forward to, one I really play well. I definitely would have wished to have played more and gone further. All I can do now is regroup, think what I can do, and also just make sure my body is 100 per cent.
"I'm always going to say it's a great season because I won my first major. If I hadn't won in Australia, we would be talking differently. But I did. I'm very proud of that. It's something that nobody can ever take away from me."
Tsurenko will take on the Czech Republic's Katerina Siniakova next.
Maria Sharapova battled past unseeded Romanian Sorana Cirstea 6-2 7-5 to set up a third-round clash with Latvia's Jelena Ostapenko.
SKYSPORTS
Djokovic, who was also pushed to four sets in punishing daytime temperatures above 90 Fahrenheit (32C) in the first round, was far more comfortable in the evening at the Arthur Ashe Stadium, breaking early and running away with the opening set in 31 minutes.
"I thought I played really well in the first two sets and then I lost it mentally," the Serb said courtside. "I lost my composure and concentration but I got it back in the fourth."
Djokovic also spoke about the noise from the crowd both between and during points but said it had not been a factor in him losing concentration.
"I was just referring to the atmosphere that the night session at the US Open has," the sixth seed told reporters.
"I've played many times here. It has no connection to my loss of concentration. It was just me, being me sometimes, the other me that my first me doesn't like.
"You just have to accept it. You can't expect that 23,000 people are quiet. Wimbledon is all white, it's tradition. You can't hear a sound when you play a point. Here it's different. That's why these majors are unique in their own way."
The Serb, who won Wimbledon this year, will face 26th seed Richard Gasquet of France in the third round.
- Wozniacki eliminated -
Second seed Caroline Wozniacki was eliminated from the US Open on Thursday night, joining top seed Simona Halep on the side-lines.
Like Halep's first-round loss to Kaia Kanepi, Wozniacki could have no complaints after being well beaten by Ukraine's Lesia Tsurenko 6-4 6-2.
The Dane said: "I started off pretty well, then I think I played well in parts of the first set, just trying to stay aggressive. But she was playing smarter than me. She played the game that I was supposed to be playing."
After breaking her grand slam duck in Melbourne after so many years of trying, it has not been a great season for Wozniacki, barring a title in Eastbourne in June.
She has failed to go beyond the fourth round at any of the three slams since, with this defeat following a second-round loss against Ekaterina Makarova at Wimbledon.
Wozniacki said: "This part of the season is usually a part of the season I really look forward to, one I really play well. I definitely would have wished to have played more and gone further. All I can do now is regroup, think what I can do, and also just make sure my body is 100 per cent.
"I'm always going to say it's a great season because I won my first major. If I hadn't won in Australia, we would be talking differently. But I did. I'm very proud of that. It's something that nobody can ever take away from me."
Tsurenko will take on the Czech Republic's Katerina Siniakova next.
Maria Sharapova battled past unseeded Romanian Sorana Cirstea 6-2 7-5 to set up a third-round clash with Latvia's Jelena Ostapenko.
SKYSPORTS
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