Novak Djokovic’s path to the US Open final is becoming clearer and clearer. The Serbian, who already had a very favorable draw, saw some of his fiercest rivals fall in the first two rounds ahead of the tournament’s second week.
The first to fall was, on Monday, Holger Rune, who was surprised by the wonderful Roberto Carballés. This Wednesday it was the turn of Stefanos Tsitsipas, a possible rival in the quarterfinals, who unexpectedly lost to the Swiss Dominic Stricker 7-5, 6-7 (2), 6-7 (5), 7-6 (8) and 6-3 in a very difficult duel of more than four hours.
Well, as if it wasn’t enough, this morning another top 10 was added to the casualty listno more or less than the current runner-up of the tournament.
Casper Ruud, number 5 of the ATP, was eliminated in the second round against the Chinese Zhizhen Zhang (67) by 6-4, 5-7, 6-2, 0-6 and 6-2 in three hours and 19 minutes.
The Norwegian, also a double finalist at Roland Garros (2022 and 2023), So, he is far from repeating or improving his result of last yearwhere he lost the title match against Carlos Alcaraz.
Zhang, 26 years old, has no titles or finals on his resumewill face Australian Rinky Hijikata (110) in the third round.
Thus, the only two-level rival that Djokovic has left in the lower part of the draw is Taylor Fritzwho prevailed over Juan Pablo Varillas (6-1, 6-2, 6-2) and Frances Tiafoewho also did not have to suffer much to defeat Sebastian Ofner (6-3, 6-1, 6-4).
The Serbian, for his part, will face his countryman Laslo Djere in the third round, while in the round of 16 his opponent will be Vesely or Gojo. In the quarterfinals Fritz can cross him and in the semifinals Tiafoe, but for that there is a long way to go.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Robert Maynard, and I am a passionate journalist with experience in sports writing. For the last few years, I have been writing for Today Times Live. My main focus has been on sports-related stories and features. With my strong background in journalism and extensive knowledge of the industry, I am able to provide readers with well-crafted pieces that are both informative and engaging.
