Well, in the absence of any tennis on Arthur Ashe, we’re going to wrap this blog up now – sorry we couldn’t bring you more! Thanks for reading. Goodbye.
So Djokovic will play the winner of the Isner-Edmund match in the fourth round. And then a possible quarter-final match-up with either Jo-Wilfried Tsonga or Jack Sock. Sock looked very good earlier in beating Marin Cilic, the 2014 champion here, in straight sets
All of which means that Djokovic is into the fourth round here in New York having played four and a bit sets of tennis. What a palaver!
Such a strange scenario. It was a really impressive six games from Djokovic – he looked sharp, and his serve was working well – but as soon as the trainer was called, you got the sense that Youzhny was struggling. There were numerous shakes of his head as the trainer was applying the bandage.
Then Youzhny came out for the sixth game of that first set, and won it, but just couldn’t continue. As soon as clinched the game with an overhead smash, he gestured to the umpire, shook his head, and hurried quickly off the court for more treatment.
A shame for the fans, but there we go: it would have been tough for Youzhny to continue if he wasn’t up to it physically.
Updated
Here’s Novak Djokovic talking to ESPN:
“It’s difficult to pick the words now. I don’t think I’ve ever had this situation – a second round walkover and 30 minutes only in the third round. Obviously I wish Mikhail a speedy recovery – he carried the injury into this match, that’s what he said.
“I’ll try to get the positives out of these six games. I started well with good intensity so I’ll try to carry that into the next match.
“There’s always plenty of things to work on. Every day is different and you feel different on the court … I work more on less on every aspect of my game. My serve, shots from the back of the court. The first week things are not always 100% so … I didn’t get too much of the match play. I’ll try to get on the practice court. I’m sorry you guys didn’t get to see too much today!
“I just called my team to practice, so that’s the best I can do right now. Try to spend time on the court, get my body in shape, and keep going.”
Updated
Mikhail Youzhny retires with injury!
Well, how about that! Youzhny won that game, walked towards the umpire, shook his head, and couldn’t continue. He was quickly off the court, and that’s that. Djokovic is into the fourth round.
Updated
First set: *Djokovic 4-2 Youzhny (*denotes next server)
That’s lovely from Youzhny, a one-handed backhand winner, cross court, for 15-0. It looks like Youzhny is going to try to hit some winners here and finish the points early: he can’t get involved in long rallies with Djokovic if his thigh is dodgy. Both players exchange mistakes, and we’re at deuce.
Second deuce after Djokovic unfurls a lovely deep service return. Youzhny’s first-serve percentage is down in the thirties, but he finishes this game with a smash, and that’s 4-2. But wait … what’s this? Is that it? Youzhny’s retiring!
Updated
Youzhny’s good to continue, and he’s serving at 1-4.
Djokovic is back behind the baseline, going through some stretching routines. Youzhny is getting a bandage applied to his thigh, but we’ve seen a number of grimaces from the Russian. Is he going to be able to finish the match?
Updated
It looks like it’s Youzhny’s left leg, possibly the hamstring. He’s down on a towel receiving some close attention from the trainer. It’s now been classified as a medical timeout.
Updated
Youzhny has called for the trainer, so we’ll take a short break while he receives treatment.
First set: Djokovic 4-1 Youzhny* (*denotes next server)
The winner of this game will play John Isner or Kyle Edmund in the fourth round. Another crunching forehand winner for 40-0 – that’s his fifth winner on his forehand side – and then Djokovic wraps up the game. Four-one in the first set.
First set: *Djokovic 3-1 Youzhny (*denotes next server)
Good start from Youzhny in this game, and he moves to 30-0 with little fuss. Djokovic reduces the deficit, but Youzhny keeps his composure and serves out the game. He’s on the board, finally.
Updated
First set: Djokovic 3-0 Youzhny* (*denotes next server)
Djokovic doesn’t seem overly troubled by the arm, or indeed the wrist, injuries that have been bothering him in recent weeks. 110mph on that second serve to go to 40-15, and Youzhny is having a hard time staying competitive. Game Djokovic.
First set: *Djokovic 2-0 Youzhny (*denotes next server)
This is good stuff from Djokovic, and Youzhny is already in trouble at 0-30. He fights back to level at 30-30, but then he’s long with a single-handed backhand that’s usually so solid. Break point for Djokovic, but he can’t make it count, and we’re at deuce.
Then Youzhny does show off his backhand with a lovely down-the-line winner – he just drilled that one. But Djokovic responds with a winner of his own, this time on the forehand. Some attractive groundstrokes in the opening couple of games. Back to deuce.
Djokovic comes forward to the net and puts Youzhny away, and another break for the world No1, which he takes! Smart tennis from Djokovic, and not the start Youzhny was looking for.
Forgive me: I described Youzhny’s shorts as red. In reality, they’re more of a hot pink. They’re real cool!
First set: Djokovic 1-0 Youzhny* (*denotes next server)
Djokovic, in white shirt and navy shorts, gets on the board with a thumping forehand winner – and then unleashes another one the other way. 30-0, which soon becomes 40-0 after a big first service, and then Youzhny, in white with luminous trim and red shorts, completely mishits a service return. A hold to love, and a good start from the top seed.
Djokovic to serve first. Let’s play tennis!
Some pre-match notes:
- Djokovic is looking to reach the fourth round in Queens for the 10th consecutive year.
- Djokovic has a 20-7 career record v Russian opponents, winning past 8 meetings since falling to Youzhny in Rotterdam in 2010.
- Youzhny, twice a US Open semi-finalist, is 30-84 lifetime v top 10 opponents.
- Youzhny is 0-12 in his career v No1 opponents: 0-6 v Federer and 0-2 v Djokovic, Hewitt and Nadal.
Djokovic and Youzhny have just entered the playing arena. A brief knock-up, and we’ll start shortly.
Updated
Hello and welcome
We’re into the third round here at Flushing Meadows, and Novak Djokovic might be glad to get a workout. He beat Jerzy Janowicz in the opening round on Monday, but had a walkover in the second, after Jiri Vesely pulled out with injury, which means he’s had four days without competitive action.
He plays Mikhail Youzhny, the world No61 who seems to have been around forever, but he hasn’t lost a set so far in New York, in beating Martin Klizan and Guido Pella in conving fashion. Djokovic, who’s won two grand slams already this year, is the clear favorite, naturally, but how is that right arm that bothered him so much against Janowicz?
We’ll be starting shortly.
Tim will be here shortly. In the meantime, here’s how Andy Murray, Djokovic’s biggest rival, fared against Marcel Granollers:
“There was a 20- to 25-minute period in the match where it was tough and tricky,” he said of his 6-4, 6-1, 6-4 win in two hours and 22 minutes over the Spaniard under the roof on Arthur Ashe on day four. That followed his opening win in similarly convincing fashion against the altogether different skills of Lukas Rosol on Monday.
He added: “I got myself in a situation that maybe I could have avoided if I had taken one or two of the set points that I had at 5-2 or 5-3. But I thought I did pretty well. There were some good points in there. That period of the match was very tough. I didn’t play that well during that period and managed to come through it, thankfully, and play some good stuff in the second and third sets.
“I served at like 40, 42% first serves or something and still won in straight sets. I must have been doing things well other than serving. I was obviously hitting the ball pretty well and returning pretty good. But I could serve better, for sure. I only got broken once in a game where I had game points. It was all right.”
Murray said playing under the new roof provided some new challenges – not the least of them having to pick up the sound of the ball against the background of an echo in the cavernous stadium.
