Frustrated Djokovic is 'trying to solve riddles' at US Open

NEW YORK — For the second contest in a row at this US Open, Novak Djokovic appeared a bit sluggish, a bit off, for a stretch. This time, he even dropped the opening set. And then, as always at Flushing Meadows, the 24-time Grand Slam champion progressed to the third round.

Djokovic improved to 36-0 across the first and second rounds in New York, a place he's won four championships, by coming back to beat 145th-ranked American qualifier Zachary Svajda 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-3, 6-1 at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Wednesday.

"I really tried to soak it in and enjoy the moment, especially when I won the first set," said Svajda, a 22-year-old from San Diego.

"It kind of shocked me. I was like: 'Wow!'"

Asked on court afterward how he felt in his first competition since losing to eventual champion Jannik Sinner in the Wimbledon semifinals on July 11 while hindered by a groin injury, Djokovic replied: "Not that great, to be honest."

Svajda noticed.

"He was missing a little bit," said Svajda, who got cramps in his legs and arms as the match wore on. "He was getting a little frustrated."

At his news conference later, the 38-year-old Djokovic spoke a little more about his mood.

"It's not a motivation thing. It's just, like, me a bit frustrated with my game, and then I kind of go through stuff internally that — you don't want to know the details what I'm going through and telling myself," he explained after getting to the third round at a major for the 75th time, breaking a tie with Roger Federer for the most such appearances by a man.

"I'm just trying to be locked in. Just trying to solve the riddle once I'm on the court," Djokovic continued. "It's not like I'm not finding joy on the court competing. I enjoy competing, but I don't enjoy not playing well. That's why I put extra pressure on myself and my team to be better the next day, the next match."

That will come against Cameron Norrie, a British left-hander who reached the semifinals at Wimbledon in 2022 and is 0-6 against the Serb.

Norrie got past Francisco Comesana of Argentina 7-6 (5), 6-3, 6-7 (0),7-6 (4) in four hours and now it's his turn to face the same task as Svajda did Wednesday.

"He does everything so well, which is incredible," Svajda said.

"I was talking to my team and coaches before, trying to figure it out. It's Novak Djokovic, so there's not a big weakness."

Heated exchange

Taylor Townsend and Jelena Ostapenko got into a face-to-face argument on the sidelines of Court 11, right after Townsend won their second-round match 7-5, 6-1.

Townsend, an American who is ranked No 1 in doubles, said Ostapenko, a Latvian who won the 2017 French Open, told her she has "no class" and "no education".

"She told me I have no education, no class, and to see what happens if we play each other outside of the US," Townsend said.

"It was unfortunate, but, you know, it's something I can put on my TikTok."

Ostapenko said on Instagram that she had been angered by Townsend's failure to acknowledge a net cord in her favor during the match.

Carlos Alcaraz's accidental buzzcut is moving on at the US Open, thanks to an easy-as-can-be second-round victory late Wednesday, a year after he lost at the same stage in the Grand Slam tournament.

The No 2-seeded Alcaraz — who decided to shave his head after his brother messed up his hair — needed a little more than one-and-a-half hours to beat 65th-ranked Mattia Bellucci of Italy 6-1, 6-0, 6-3 under the lights at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Alcaraz never faced a break point and accumulated a 32-11 advantage in winners.

All in all, a far cry from what happened in the second round at Flushing Meadows in 2024.

Alcaraz went into that one on a 15-match unbeaten run at major tournaments — thanks in large part to titles at the French Open and Wimbledon — but came out on the wrong end of a straight-sets defeat to Botic van de Zandschulp of the Netherlands.

There was never a chance of that sort of shock result against Bellucci.

"Yeah, I played great, to be honest," said Alcaraz, who earned the first of his five Grand Slam titles at the US Open in 2022.

"Today wasn't his day. I tried to make the most of his mistakes."

He and No 1 Sinner have combined to win the past seven major trophies.

No 5 seed Jack Draper, a semifinalist in 2024, withdrew because of a lingering injury to his left arm. Winners included defending champion Aryna Sabalenka, both of last year's runners-up — Jessica Pegula and Taylor Fritz — along with, Ben Shelton, Frances Tiafoe, 2021 champion Emma Raducanu and Emma Navarro.

No 12 Casper Ruud, whose 0-3 record in Grand Slam finals includes a loss to Alcaraz at Flushing Meadows in 2022, was eliminated 6-4, 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 7-5 by Raphael Collignon of Belgium. The 107th-ranked Collignon had never won a match at a major or played a five-setter until this tournament.

Agencies