Driving Naari Programme launched in Chandigarh
New York, Top seed Novak Djokovic cannot seem able to get a match at the US Open as the world No. 1 was given another rapid advance when Russian Mikhail Youzhny retired due to a leg injury when trailing 4-2 on Friday evening.
Youzhny was treated during the changeover at 4-1 in the third-round match at Arthur Ashe Stadium and had his left thigh taped. He won the next game on his serve but could not continue, giving Djokovic a pass into the round of 16.
The Serb, winner of this year’s Australian Open and French Open to complete a career Grand Slam, came into the match off a three-day break due to a walkover into the third round when Jiri Vesely of the Czech Republic withdrew.
“It’s difficult to pick the words now. I don’t think I ever had this kind of situation in my career, where I had a second-round walkover and the third round 30 minutes only,” Djokovic said on court before settling in for some practice. “I’ll try to get the positives out of these six games. Obviously I did start very well with a good intensity and I’ll try to carry that into the next match.”
Djokovic, who has been bothered in recent months by a nagging wrist injury, won his opening match at Flushing Meadows on Monday, 6-3 5-7 6-2 6-1 over 247th-ranked Jerzy Janowicz of Poland, and is not expected back on court until Sunday.
The 29-year-old Serb was asked whether the long layoff was to his advantage or detriment. “Depends at how you look at it,” he told reporters. “Considering the stage of the season, the amount of matches I’ve played, what I’ve been through with my body, I think it’s actually good to have some days off and then shorter matches.”
Results
Men’s: (Round 3): Jo-Wilfried Tsonga bt Kevin Anderson 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (7/4); M Baghdatis bt R Harrison 6-3, 7-6 (7/4), 1-6, 6-1,J Sock bt M Cilic 6-4, 6-3, 6-3,G Monfils bt d N Almagro 6-4, 6-2, 6-4, N Djokovic d M Youzhny (ret), L Pouille bt RB Agut 3-6, 7-5, 2-6, 7-5, 6-1, K Edmund bt J Isner 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, 7-6 (7/5), R Nadal bt A Kuznetsov 6-1, 6-4, 6-2.
Women’s: (Round 3): R Vinci bt C Witthoft 6-0, 5-7, 6-3, A Sevastova bt K Bondarenko 6-4, 6-1, C Wozniacki bt M Niculescu 6-3, 6-1, L Tsurenko bt D Cibulkova 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, M Keys d N Osaka 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (7/3), J Konta bt B Bencic 6-2, 6-1,P Kvitova bt E Svitolina 6-3, 6-4, A Kerber d C Bellis 6-1, 6-1
Paes, Bopanna crash out of men’s doubles; Sania wins in mixed doubles
India’s top male doubles players Leander Paes and Rohan Bopanna were dumped from the US Open men’s doubles competition even as Sania Mirza progressed in the mixed-doubles event with her Croatian partner Ivan Dodig. Paes and his German partner Andre Begemann lost a close first-round encounter 6-2 5-7 4-6 against the French-Israeli pair of Stephane Robert and Dudi Sela in just under two hours. Bopanna and his partner Frederik Nielsen of Denmark were blown away 6-2 7-6 (7-5) by the US-New Zealand pair of Brian Baker and Marcus Daniell. However, Sania and Dodig registered a 6-4 6-4 win over the US pair of Donald Young and Taylor Townsend. Bopanna also played his mixed-doubles first round match later in the evening, partnering Canada’s Gabriela Dabrowski. The Indian-Canadian pair beat the US pair of Noah Rubin and Jamie Loeb 7-5 6-4 in only 67 minutes. In the men’s doubles, Bopanna and Nielsen were broken once each in the first set, which they lost 2-6. In the second set, it was turning out to be a cakewalk for their Kiwi-US opponents as they were ready to serve for the match at 5-3. It was then that Bopanna-Nielsen broke back and held serve to make it 5-5, raising the visions of a fightback. In the tie-break, the Indo-Danish pair was up 3-0, only to commit several unforced errors to lose the match, which lasted 74 minutes. Paes and Begemann started their encounter in a positive manner with two service breaks, grabbing the first set 6-2. They were a break up in the second set as well and were serving for the match at 5-4, when they got broken and it was 5-5. The Indo-German pair again got broken in the 12th game to lose the set. In the third set, Paes-Begemann squandered an early break and a 4-2 lead to lose four games on the trot and with them, the match. In the junior girls’ event, Pranjala Yadlapalli beat Victoria Emma of the US 6-3 6-2.
