New York (AFP) – Novak Djokovic aims to take another step toward a record 25th Grand Slam title on Wednesday when he takes on fellow Serbian Laslo Djere in the second round of the US Open. Defending women’s champion Coco Gauff is also in action, along with Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka and Wimbledon winner Barbora Krejcikova.
AFP Sport looks at three matches to watch on Day 3 of 2024’s final Grand Slam, which will conclude on September 8 (x denotes seeded player):
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**Laslo Djere (SRB) v Novak Djokovic (SRB x2)**
Four-time US Open champion Djokovic, playing for the first time since claiming Olympic gold on the red clay of Roland Garros, began to find his hard court rhythm in a first-round victory over qualifier Radu Albot. He’ll need to be sharp against Djere, who took the first two sets off his illustrious countryman before falling to him in the third round last year.
“I remember very well our match,” Djokovic said. “It was a very tough match. I’m going to try to analyze that and hopeful do some things even better than I did last year.” While Djere gave him a scare last time around, Djokovic was delighted to see him advance — with a five-set victory over Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff.
“It’s a great win for him because he’s been struggling a bit after his surgery to get to the desired level,” Djokovic said of Djere, who had elbow surgery in April. “It’s great for Serbian tennis, obviously, that two Serbian players are facing each other. It’s a guaranteed third round for one of the Serbian guys. Hopefully it’s going to be me, but Djere is a guy that really likes playing on a big stage. I think he also loves the conditions here. It’s a bit quicker. Ball stays low. He has a very flat backhand particularly and very good serve, great return. He’s physically as fit as anybody.”
**Tatjana Maria (GER) v Coco Gauff (USA x3)**
Gauff, the 20-year-old defending champion, will be up against one of the most experienced players in the field when she takes on 37-year-old Maria in the second round. The third-seeded American is an overwhelming favorite against the German ranked 99th in the world, whose best Grand Slam performance was a semi-final appearance at Wimbledon in 2022.
Gauff won their only prior encounter on the way to the 2023 WTA Auckland title. She defended that title in January, but Gauff’s recent results have been disappointing with early exits at the Paris Olympics, Toronto, and Cincinnati. Gauff says she’s feeling better on court, as evidenced by a dominant victory over Varvara Gacheva in the first round.
“Even-keeled,” Gauff said of her approach to her title defence. “Just focusing on the match in front of me and not looking too far ahead or too far behind.”
**Ekaterina Alexandrova (RUS x29) v Iva Jovic (USA)**
California 16-year-old Iva Jovic will try to build on her dream start to her first Grand Slam when she takes on four-time WTA winner Alexandrova in the second round. “Surprised, but not surprised,” Jovic said after ousting 2023 Australian Open semi-finalist Magda Linette in the first round, a perfect start to not only her first major tournament but her first appearance in a tour-level main draw.
She was awarded a wild-card into the US Open after winning the national under-18 title and said she was bolstered by memories of playing on the same court 15 as a junior. “The atmosphere was pretty much the same. I had a plan about what I was going to do before I started, and there wasn’t any need for crazy adjustments, because it was going well,” she said.
© 2024 AFP
