Djokovic overcomes early scare to advance at US Open
Novak Djokovic defeated Zachary Svajda 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-3, 6-1 on Wednesday
Novak Djokovic, 2025 | © Imago / PsNewz
Serb Novak Djokovic, the No. 7 seed, fought back from a set down to defeat American qualifier Zachary Svajda 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-3, 6-1, moving into the third round of the U.S. Open on Wednesday in a match that lasted two hours and 31 minutes.
Djokovic, a four-time champion at Flushing Meadows (2011, 2015, 2018, 2023), was tested early by the 22-year-old American, who showcased a determined baseline game and a high first-serve percentage to push the opening set to a tiebreak. Svajda converted on his one break point opportunity in the match, a critical moment that helped him seize the lead and stun the crowd at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
Djokovic elevated the level
The tide began to turn in the second set as Djokovic elevated his play. He won 84% of his first-serve points and found a rhythm that had been absent in the first set, hitting 48 winners in the match to Svajda’s 39. The Serb’s relentless defense and tactical precision wore down his younger opponent, leading to six successful break points for Djokovic compared to just one for Svajda.
Following the match, Djokovic acknowledged the challenge, praising Svajda’s performance and his own mental fortitude. “It was a tough start, and full credit to Zach for playing some really high-quality tennis in that first set,” Djokovic said. “He made me work for every point. I was not really happy with my game in the beginning, but I’m glad I found a way to stay in the match and improve my intensity. The most important thing is that I managed to get the job done.”
With the victory, Djokovic builds momentum as he continues his quest for a record-extending 25th major title. He will next face Englishman Cameron Norrie, who defeated Argentinian Francisco Comesana in a separate second-round match.
New York (Grand Slam), other second-round results (USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, hard, USD 90.000.000, most recent results first):
- Ben Shelton vs. Pablo Carreno Busta
- Shintaro Mochizuki vs. Alex De Minaur
- Stefanos Tsitsipas vs. Daniel Altmaier
- Leandro Riedi vs. Francisco Cerundolo
- Karen Khachanov vs. Kamil Majchrzak
- Tristan Boyer vs. Andrey Rublev
- Adam Walton vs. Chak Lam Coleman Wong
- Roman Safiullin vs. Felix Auger-Aliassime
- Alexander Zverev vs. Jacob Fearnley
- Zizou Bergs vs. Jack Draper
- Gabriel Diallo vs. Jaume Munar
- Jenson Brooksby vs. Flavio Cobolli
- Lorenzo Musetti vs. David Goffin
- Nuno Borges vs. Tommy Paul
- Alexander Bublik vs. Tristan Schoolkate
- Valentin Royer vs. Denis Shapovalov
- Jannik Sinner vs. Alexei Popyrin
- Mattia Bellucci vs. Carlos Alcaraz
- Jan-Lennard Struff vs. Holger Rune
- Jordan Thompson vs. Adrian Mannarino
- Luciano Darderi vs. Eliot Spizzirri
- Frances Tiafoe vs. Martin Damm
- Jakub Mensik vs. Ugo Blanchet
- Arthur Rinderknech vs. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina: wednesday
- Cameron Norrie vs. Francisco Comesana: wednesday
- Benjamin Bonzi vs. Marcos Giron: wednesday
- Lloyd Harris vs. Taylor Fritz
- Raphael Collignon vs. Casper Ruud: wednesday
- Joao Fonseca vs. Tomas Machac: wednesday
- Jiri Lehecka (20) beat Tomas Martin Etcheverry: 3-6, 6-0, 6-2, 6-4
- Brandon Nakashima vs. Jerome Kym: wednesday
