Novak Djokovic in action on day five of the US Open tennis tournament in News York September 2, 2016.
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World number one Novak Djokovic comes into this clash on the back of a hard time in the past one month, but his performances at the ongoing US Open have shown that he is still the man to beat.
Edmund had never made it past the first round in NY prior to the 2016 tournament.
Perhaps Djokovic also sensed an opportunity in the various doubts that have tracked him over the past couple of months: the “private issues” and the mechanical problems in his left wrist and right arm.
The final match on Louis Armstrong Stadium on Friday night at the 2016 U.S. Open saw Great Britain’s Kyle Edmund continue his Flushing Meadows run, upending American John Isner 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, 7-6 (5) to book a showdown with defending champion Novak Djokovic in the Round of 16.
“It feels great to play a match”, Djokovic said.
“I needed a little bit of massage”, he said of treatment similar to what he received during his opening-round match against Jerzy Janowicz of Poland.
“I did some studying, played tennis with kids, gave some lessons”, Sevastova said. “The good thing is, I feel like there’s a lot of things I can improve on”.
Edmund lost 6-3 6-3 when he played Djokovic for the first time in Miami earlier this year, but said he had learnt a lot.
That came right after Djokovic got broken for the first time in the match and was part of a stretch of three games in a row for Edmund. But at the same time I know I’m in a good place.
“Not that I didn’t believe in my game, but it’s nice to actually do it on a big stage against some good players, two top-20 players and a guy that was playing well”. The world number 84 ripped a backhand cross court victor to move to break point but could not convert that chance or a second as the defending champion held for 2-0.
One blistering forehand offered a glimpse of the Briton’s talent, but it was too little, too late, as Djokovic strolled to victory in one hour and 56 minutes. He produced various bits of magic along the way: a jumping, head-fake drop shot at an impossible angle; a stretching angled cross-court backhand pass that drew an errant volley from Edmund; a body-contorting defense-to-offense forehand that drew a roar from spectators.
21-year-old Edmund defeated both Richard Gasquet and John Isner to make it to the fourth round of a slam for the first time. “I wanted to move him around the court”.
Djokovic, the beneficiary of a walkover and retirement in the second and third rounds respectively, showed few signs of rustiness early.
The fourth set was the most dramatic but Edmund never cowered and instead it was Isner who lost his cool at 5-4, appealing his opponent’s ace only to find all his challenges were used up.
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They broke the top seeds again in the fourth game to take a 4-0 lead and held on to their advantage to win the first set.
