No. 1 seed Djokovic dances into 3rd round
Novak Djokovic, of Serbia, dances on the court with a T-shirt given to him by a fan after winning his second-round match against Andreas Haider-Maurer, of Austria, at the US Open tennis tournament in New York, Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2015. AP
NEW YORK — The latest on the US Open (all times local):
11:55 p.m.
Leave it to Novak Djokovic to engage in some sort of good-natured post-match goofiness on court at the US Open.
Djokovic has entertained spectators in the past with his impersonations of fellow players.
This time, after a second-round victory that ended shortly before midnight under the lights in Arthur Ashe Stadium, he danced a towel-waving jig with a man brought out of the stands as music blared on the arena’s speakers.
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11:40 p.m.
Novak Djokovic simply does not lose second-round Grand Slam matches.
The No. 1-seeded Serb took a bit of time to get going Wednesday night at the US Open, splitting the opening eight games, before reeling off 14 of the remaining 17 in a 6-4, 6-1, 6-2 victory over 52nd-ranked Andreas Haider-Maurer of Austria.
“From the 4-all moment,” Djokovic said, “I played really well.”
Now there’s an understatement.
It was Djokovic’s 29th consecutive victory in the second round at a major, a streak that dates to 2008. He owns nine Grand Slam titles, including at the 2011 U.S. Open.
Next for Djokovic is a match against Andreas Seppi of Italy.
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11:20 p.m.
Here’s the way Bob Bryan summed up the first-round loss at the US Open that means he and twin brother Mike will finish a season without a Grand Slam doubles title for the first time in a decade: “It was bound to happen at some point.”
From 2005 to 2014, the Bryans won at least one major title every year, and they own a record total of 16.
But they lost Wednesday to another American duo, Steve Johnson and Sam Querrey.
“Unfortunately,” Bob said, “the stars didn’t align at the majors this year.”
Johnson still thinks the Bryans are the best in the business.
“For those guys, not winning a Slam might be a down year, but they’re still No. 1 in the world,” Johnson said, as Querrey nodded in agreement, “and they’re not going anywhere, anytime soon.”
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9:50 p.m.
Belinda Bencic explained it simply.
