NEW YORK :Novak Djokovic tidied up early errors and recovered from a set down to get past American qualifier Zachary Svajda, as Briton Emma Raducanu had a far easier time advancing into the U.S. Open third round on Wednesday.
The 24-times major winner Djokovic made 14 unforced errors in the first set compared to just 11 across the rest of the match as he eventually hit his stride at Arthur Ashe Stadium, beating Svajda 6-7(5) 6-3 6-3 6-1.
Svajda, who poked fun at his own long odds against the former world number one in a now-viral TikTok video, put up a surprise early fight to the delight of the home fans but was let down by an apparent leg injury midway into the match.
Djokovic next plays Briton Cameron Norrie.
American fourth seed Jessica Pegula followed on Ashe with a routine 6-1 6-3 win over Anna Blinkova and will next play three-time finalist Victoria Azarenka.
The Belarusian Azarenka became only the fifth woman in the professional era to claim 100 or more singles main draw wins at the hardcourt majors as she beat Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-3 6-3 earlier in the day at Stadium 17.
Raducanu needed only an hour to cruise past the Indonesian qualifier Janice Tjen 6-2 6-1 in the first match of the day on Louis Armstrong Stadium, as she finds a way back to winning ways at the hardcourt tournament.
Raducanu had not won a U.S. Open match since lifting the trophy in her remarkable run to the title in 2021 but appears in solid form this year, as she made just eight unforced errors.
“I’m particularly happy, because on the court, I felt like my opponent was playing really good tennis. I thought that she was very dangerous,” she told reporters.
“So I’m very pleased with how I kept dictating the points, I kept dictating the play.”
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Raducanu will face ninth seed Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan in the third round. She continues in the tournament without British compatriot Jack Draper, who withdrew due to injury on Wednesday.
American fourth seed Taylor Fritz got past South African Lloyd Harris 4-6 7-6(3) 6-2 6-4 in the second match of the day on Armstrong, with Swiss qualifier Jerome Kym waiting for him in the third round.
Fritz is among the top contenders hoping to break a 22-year American men’s drought at the tournament, along with Frances Tiafoe, who beat qualifier Martin Damm 6-4 7-5 6-7(8) 7-5.
“You’ve got to be brave, you’ve got to be courageous – there’s no free lunches out here,” said Tiafoe, who hopes to go all the way after reaching the semi-final twice before.
American 10th seed Emma Navarro swatted aside her compatriot, wild card Caty McNally, 6-2 6-1, while the Norwegian 12th seed and former finalist Casper Ruud fell to Belgian Raphael Collignon 6-4 3-6 3-6 6-4 7-5.
Organisers saved the heaviest hitters for the night session on Ashe, where world number two Carlos Alcaraz kicks things off after moving past American Reilly Opelka at a speedy clip with his accidental buzz cut in the first round.
The 2022 champion plays Italian Mattia Bellucci after picking up his third 1000-level title of the year in Cincinnati.
The women’s defending champion and world number one Aryna Sabalenka takes on Polina Kudermetova under the lights next, aiming for her first major title of the year after a series of frustrating close calls.
She finished runner-up at the Australian Open and Roland Garros and exited Wimbledon in the semi-finals.
Italian seventh seed Jasmine Paolini launches the night session over at Louis Armstrong Stadium, playing American Iva Jovic, followed by a match between U.S. men’s contender Ben Shelton and Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta.
