(New York) Novak Djokovic didn’t struggle as much as his last game, knocking out qualifier Borna Gojo 6-2, 7-5, 6-4 on Sunday at the United States Open. United.
Djokovic, who won three of his 23 Grand Slam titles at Flushing Meadows, needed to erase a two-set deficit in the third round against Laslo Djere.
This time Djokovic played much more effectively. He only committed 12 unforced errors to Gojo’s 40.
“I’m just proud to have won in three sets,” said Djokovic, who is already guaranteed to replace Carlos Alcaraz at No. 1 in the ATP rankings next week.
Djokovic has won five of 15 games serving Gojo and he’s only been broken once.
Djokovic will now have ninth-seeded American Taylor Fritz in his way, who is the only player still in the title hunt who has not dropped a set during the tournament.
“Taylor has improved a lot over the years,” Djokovic said. Obviously, the matches will be more and more difficult. I’m ready. »
Earlier in the evening, Fritz completed the first trio of American players to reach the quarters since Andre Agassi, James Blake and Robby Ginepri in 2005.
Fritz got the better of Swiss qualifier Dominic Stricker in straight sets 7-6(2), 6-4, 6-4.
Before him, Americans Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe secured their ticket to the quarter-finals.
The 20-year-old Shelton had 16 aces en route to a 6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 victory over compatriot Tommy Paul.
Paul had defeated Shelton in four sets at the Australian Open this year, in the quarter-finals.
Shelton prevailed 36-25 in game winners. Two of its services reached 239 kilometers per hour.
“I think it was pure adrenaline,” Shelton told the crowd after the game at Arthur Ashe Stadium. It was just in that kind of atmosphere that I could do it. »
Shelton was the 2022 NCAA champion, with the University of Florida.
Tiafoe, the 10th seed, will be his opponent in the next round. The American defeated Australian Rinky Hijikata in three sets 6-4, 6-1, 6-4.
In the women’s tournament, tournament favourite, Poland’s Iga Swiatek, couldn’t maintain her lead and saw her title defense come to a halt in the fourth round.
Swiatek lost 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 to Jelena Ostapenko, losing her world No. 1 ranking to Aryna Sabalenka.
Swiatek lacked precision at the Arthur Ashe stadium and she struggled to control the powerful shots of Ostapenko, champion at Roland-Garros in 2017.
Ostapenko is 4-0 in career against Swiatek. No other player on the WTA Tour has defeated the Pole on four occasions.
Karolina Muchova reached the quarter-finals winning 6-3, 5-7, 6-1 over Wang Xinyu. This is the longest run in New York for the 10th seeded Czech.
Muchova made it to the French Open final three months ago, losing in three sets to Iga Swiatek.
Muchova also reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open in 2021.
She had 32 game winners, offsetting 37 unforced errors. Her rival made 42 unprovoked errors.
“I was true to my game, with a lot of brush strokes to change the rhythm,” Muchova told the crowd at Louis Armstrong Stadium. That was the key. »
Her next rival will be Sorana Cirstea, who edged out Belinda Bencic 6-3, 6-3.
Sixth-seeded American Coco Gauff struggled against Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki but rebounded after a tough second set to triumph 6-3, 3-6, 6-1.
Gauff became the first American teenager since Serena Williams more than two decades ago to reach the quarter-finals at Flushing Meadows in two consecutive years.
In 2022, Gauff lost to Caroline Garcia in the quarters. This time she will have Ostapenko on her way.
Gauff has won 15 of her last 16 games and recently won the two most important titles of her career, in Washington and Cincinnati. The American was able to clean up her game in the third set on the hottest day of the tournament so far.
“She’s always been a great athlete. She has the backhand, the serve, the fighting spirit, Wozniacki argued. I feel like everything seems to be in place for her right now. »
Wozniacki, the 2018 Australian Open champion and two-time runner-up in New York, was ultimately unable to go head-to-head with Gauff in the final set.
“She’s back and it’s like she never left the circuit,” Gauff insisted. To be on the court today and to play against her, it was an honor. »
