Top-seeded Novak Djokovic easily advanced to the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open with a 6-2, 6-1, 6-4 shellacking of unseeded Kyle Edmund of Great Britain on Sunday night at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
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Djokovic has had to play only six games for his last two victories here, after both Jiri Vesely and then Mikhail Youzhny retired injured.
However, he was out-classed by the world no.1, being dispatched 6-2, 6-1, 6-4 as Djokovic searches for his 13th grand slam title.
Djokovic’s victory put him into the last eight against ninth-seeded Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
Edmund, nerves no doubt knocking about in his skull like pots and pans, double-faulted on his second set point but repaired the damage to go a set up just past the first half hour. “I really wanted to start the match well, because I didn’t have much time on the court overall before the fourth round [against Kyle Edmund]”, Djokovic said.
When attempting to consolidate the break the defending champion wobbled as Edmund struck a forehand down the line victor before the Serb hit a double fault to offer up a break point.
Djokovic is back and he finally played a whole match without his opponents retiring.
It looked set up for Edmund to take the fourth but Isner wasn’t finished and thanks to a couple of serves in excess of 130mph he held on and took the set to a tie break.
“I think, playing John, your chances don’t come very often, so you have to capitalise when they do”. “A lot of pressure, a lot of expectation, but I can always continue to learn”, she said after. Health-wise I feel much better than I did at the beginning of the tournament… the arm is doing very well.
After two lopsided sets that Djokovic totally controlled, Edmund made the third set competitive, holding for 4-4 before the Serb closed out the set to end the match.
Defeat for Nadal means that this year marks the first since 2004 that the 30-year-old has failed to reach a Grand Slam quarter-final.
Eighth-seeded American Madison Keys rallied from down two breaks in the third set for another great escape at the U.S. Open.
Even if this is the end of Edmund’s journey in NY, it will be some way to finish-and surely just the start to the next chapter. If he gets into long points, then Djokovic will work him over as he does to a majority of players.
Caroline Wozniacki, meanwhile – derailed this year by an ankle injury that sent her career into a tailspin – and Anastasija Sevastova, who quit the sport three years ago, set up a US Open quarterfinal duel. “I’m motivated. So coming into the second week of a grand slam quarter-finals … it’s exactly where I want to be”.
Isner held for 5-all, but Edmund, the most relaxed of characters, was not altogether pleased that he had to successfully challenge two poor calls on the American’s serve.
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Djokovic, who has won his last 73 matches against opponents ranked outside the world’s top 50, is now just one win away from reaching the semi-finals here for the 10th year in a row.
