SENSATION. World number 28 eliminates Novak Djokovic from US Open in third round
The US Open tournament continues at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York, USA. The men's singles third-round matches have begun.
In a battle for a place in the fourth round, the 28th-ranked Alexei Popyrin from Australia faced the world number two and former world number one, Novak Djokovic.
The Serbian tennis player was the clear favorite, but the match unfolded quite differently.
In the first set, Djokovic served five aces but committed two double faults. After losing one game on his serve, he dropped the set 4-6. A similar scenario played out in the second set, where Djokovic made four double faults and lost by the same score.
In the third set, the world number two began to regain control, taking it 6-2 in 43 minutes, but he lost the fourth set again, 4-6.
US Open
Men's Singles, Third Round
Alexei Popyrin (Australia) vs. Novak Djokovic (Serbia) 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4
In the next round, Popyrin will face the American Frances Tiafoe, who is ranked 20th in the ATP rankings.
Let us remind you that earlier, at the second stage of the tournament, the third racket of the world left the tournament, losing to number 74 in the ATP rankings.
After the defeat, Djokovic stated that health issues were to blame for his performance, and he was glad to have made it to the third round.
"Congratulations to him and his team. He played better and deserved the victory.
To be honest, given how I felt and how I played from the start of the tournament, reaching the third round is an achievement. I played the worst tennis I've ever played. The serve, without a doubt, was the worst of all. On this surface, you can't win without a serve. You certainly can't beat guys in the form Alexei is in. For me, it was just a terrible match."
It’s worth noting that Djokovic is the reigning US Open champion, having won the title four times overall.
Liam Garcia
Dailysports's expert
