Djokovic continued to look like an unbeatable machine, winning the first two games of the third set.
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Edmund kept his cool, however, broke serve in the third game and might have then drawn encouragement from the sight of a trainer coming on to massage Djokovic’s right arm, though the Serb insisted later that it had not been a problem.
Also, Djokovic received medical attention on his “right” hand during the match.
Novak Djokovic, of Serbia, celebrates after defeating Kyle Edmund, of Britain, in the fourth round of the U.S. Open tennis tournament, early Monday morning, September 5, 2016, in NY. He told BBC that the successive withdrawals of his two opponents, Czech Republic’s Jiri Vesely and Russia’s Mikhail Youzhny, helped with nursing his injuries.
The world number 48 overcame world number three Garbine Muguruza in the second round and 13th-seeded Briton Johanna Konta in the round of 16 and had not dropped a set ahead of her showdown with former world number one Wozniacki. The two players were back on serve at 4-4 before Djokovic closed out the win in the final two games. The last time they met was in the quarter-final of the Indian Wells Masters earlier this year, where the Serb won 7-6, 7-6. In the 2009 U.S. Open semifinals, Williams was angered by the same type of call: a foot fault that resulted in a double-fault; in that instance, it set up match point for her opponent, Kim Clijsters.
Kerber, who has a chance to overtake Williams at No. 1 in the WTA rankings after the tournament, moved into her third Grand Slam semifinal of the year. At the Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008 he won the bronze medal. Tsonga double-faulted on the opening point of the third set, then retired from the match.
The last time three Frenchmen reached the quarterfinals was back in 1927, when the event was known as the U.S. Championships.
Frenchman Lucas Pouille edged out two-time champion Rafael Nadal in a five set thriller lasting just over four hours.
Chasing down shots with all his usual speed and athleticism and hitting the ball with great power and accuracy, the defending champion put Edmund under intense pressure. In addition, she will have surgery on a toe she broke at the Australian Open in January 2015. The left wrist injury that sidelined him for 2 1/2 months does not appear to be much of an issue any more for the 14-time major champion. Edmund recovered to reach game point but Djokovic was not to be denied a break of serve, closing the game with a backhand volley victor to take a 2-1 lead.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Novak Djokovic meet in the quarterfinals of the 2016 US Open.
After failing to covert one match point in the third-set tiebreaker, the ninth-seeded Tsonga dominated the fourth for the 6-3, 6-3, 6-7 (7), 6-2 victory Sunday.
The men’s quarterfinals Tuesday were No. 1 Novak Djokovic vs.
All stats are courtesy of the U.S. Open’s official website.
Kyle Edmund, of Britain, hits a return shot to Novak Djokovic, of Serbia, during the fourth round of the U.S. Open tennis tournament, Sunday, Sept. 4, 2016, in NY.
Edmund did seem a little overwhelmed at times on Sunday.
Djokovic and Tsonga have never faced each other even once at the US Open in the past.
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“It was really hard because he played great in the third, but I have no regrets about this set because he played well”, Tsonga said.
