Tennis – Novak Djokovic’s bid for a record 25th Grand Slam title ended with a whimper at the US Open as the defending champion was stunned in the third round by Alexei Popyrin while Aryna Sabalenka survived a late-night scare.
Djokovic searched in vain for the form that helped him win the Paris Olympics gold this month, as the 37-year-old Serbian crashed 6-4 6-4 2-6 6-4 against Australian Popyrin to ensure a year without a major for the first time since 2017.
“I spent a lot of energy winning gold and I arrived at New York just not feeling fresh, mentally and physically,” Djokovic told reporters.
“But because it’s the US Open I gave it a shot and tried my best. I didn’t have any physical issues. I just felt out of gas and you could see that with the way I played.”
The result will also mark the first time since 2002 that a year will finish without a member of the “Big Three” – Djokovic, Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer – winning a major.
A second shocker in as many days at the year’s final Grand Slam, after French Open and Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz’s premature exit, left a host of players relishing the chance for a rare shot at glory.
Frances Tiafoe kept alive his hopes of becoming the first American man to claim the US Open title since Andy Roddick 21 years ago by outlasting compatriot Ben Shelton 4-6 7-5 6-7(5) 6-4 6-3 to move ahead.
He was joined by another top contender in Taylor Fritz, who eased past Francisco Comesana 6-3 6-4 6-2 to emerge as the first American man to make the last 16 at all four Grand Slams in the same year since Andre Agassi in 2003.
Defending champion Coco Gauff conceded six games across the first two rounds but came under pressure from Elina Svitolina as she dropped the first set to the Ukrainian before rebooting to complete a 3-6 6-3 6-3 victory.
Sabalenka looked shaky after the latest start to a US Open match but secured a 2-6 6-1 6-2 win over 29th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova.
Alexander Zverev outlasted Tomas Martin Etcheverry 5-7 7-5 6-1 6-3 on Louis Armstrong Stadium in the second latest finish at the major, behind the epic between Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner in 2022.
Paula Badosa was also in no mood to bow out tamely as the former world number two rallied from a set down to beat Elena-Gabriela Ruse 4-6 6-1 7-6(8).
The Spaniard has hit top form on the American hardcourts a few months after she contemplated retirement when doctors told her she could struggle on the surface due to a back injury.
Three-times runner-up Victoria Azarenka could not avoid an exit as the Belarusian fell to a 6-4 3-6 6-1 loss to unseeded Wang Yafan.
Wang’s Chinese compatriot and Olympic gold medallist Zheng Qinwen also continued her winning run, beating Jule Niemeier 6-2 6-1, but it was the end of the road for Shang Juncheng, who squandered a two-set lead against eighth seed Casper Ruud.
Ruud, the 2022 runner-up, won 6-7(1) 3-6 6-0 6-3 6-1 and credited his mental toughness for getting him through.
World number one Jannik Sinner’s bid for a second Grand Slam title continued to gain momentum as he thumped Christopher O’Connell 6-1 6-4 6-2 to reach the fourth round.
Sinner, who has seen two of his biggest rivals for the title at Flushing Meadows fall by the wayside this week after Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic were beaten, took an hour and 53 minutes to bundle out his 87th-ranked opponent.
O’Connell, who had lost all eight of his previous meetings with top-10 players, looked powerless throughout as his bid to reach the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time failed.
Sinner faces either 14th-seeded local hope Tommy Paul or Canadian qualifier Gabriel Diallo in the fourth round.
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