A day after Carlos Alcaraz’s exit, defending champion Novak Djokovic also bowed out of the US Open tennis tournament after losing a four-set match, but defending women’s champion Coco Gauff managed to enter the next round. Djokovic, who was trying to win his 25th Grand Slam title, was defeated by 28th seed Alexei Popyrin of Australia 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4.
Djokovic said after the match, “Honestly, this is my worst performance so far. This match was like a nightmare for me. I could not play even close to my best.” This is the first time since 2017 that second seeded Djokovic has not won a single Grand Slam tournament in a year. Earlier this had happened in 2010 as well. Not only this, this is the first time since 2002 that none of the three tennis legends Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer have won a Grand Slam trophy in a single year.
Djokovic had previously failed to progress beyond the third round of the US Open in 2005 and 2006. The 37-year-old player became champion here in 2011, 2015, 2018 and 2023. Djokovic, who won the gold medal at the Paris Olympics, committed 14 double faults and looked tired during the match. This is Australia’s 25-year-old Popyrin’s first win against Djokovic. He will now face 20th seed Francis Tiafoe of America, who defeated compatriot Ben Shenton 4-6, 7-5, 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-3.
In the women’s category, defending champion and third seed Coco Gauff managed to advance despite losing the first set. The American player took a strong step towards defending her title by defeating 27th seed Elina Svitolina 3-6, 6-3, 6-3. She will next face Emma Navarro, who won the match that lasted three sets to secure a place in the next round.
The 13th seeded player defeated 19th seed Marta Kostyuk 6-4, 4-6, 6-3. In the women’s category, Aryna Sabalenka made a good comeback after losing the first set and made it to the fourth round by defeating 29th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova 2-6, 6-1, 6-2.
