US Open, day 3 men’s roundup: Djokovic continues unbeaten run; Tsitsipas, Zverev advance

Top seeds progressed in the men’s draw at a humid US Open Wednesday that saw players change shoes and officials called on to wipe courts with towels.

Novak Djokovic overcame an early scare to move into the third round, extending an undefeated run in 2020 to 25 matches.

World No 1 Djokovic dropped the first against Britain’s Kyle Edmund but rallied to progress 6-7 (5/7), 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 inside a subdued, spectator-free Arthur Ashe Stadium at Flushing Meadows.

Fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece defeated American Maxime Cressy 7-6 (7/2), 6-3, 6-4 in the night match at the main Arthur Ashe Stadium at Flushing Meadows.

Tsitsipas used his powerful service game to effect, winning 83 percent of points on his first serve. The 22-year-old Greek also hit just 15 unforced errors compared to the 32 committed by the unseeded Cressy.

For Tsitsipas, it was a memorable first experience of playing on the famous Ashe court. “It would have been even better with fans but getting a first taste of what it is was great for me,” he said.

Tsitsipas added that the 88% humidity made for “rough conditions” but that he enjoyed the workout.

Tsitsipas, seeking his first Grand Slam title, will take on Croatia’s Borna Coric in round three. The 27th seed fought back from two sets to one down to beat Juan Ignacio Londero of Argentina 7-5, 4-6, 6-7 (5/7), 6-2, 6-3.

Also Wednesday, fifth seed Alexander Zverev required four sets and almost three hours during a sticky encounter against American wildcard Brandon Nakashima inside an empty Louis Armstrong Stadium.

Zverev produced an inconsistent service game against Nakashima, ranked 223 in the world in a far from smooth 7-5, 6-7 (8/10), 6-3, 6-1 win. The world number seven traded 24 aces with 10 double faults.

Zverev, looking for his first Grand Slam title, plays number 32 seed Adrian Mannarino in round three after the Frenchman outdid 389th-ranked American Jack Sock 7-6, 7-5, 6-2.

Elsewhere, Canadian 12th seed Denis Shapovalov downed Souther Korean Soonwoo Kwon 6-7, 6-4, 6-4, 6-2.

Meanwhile, Belgian seventh seed David Goffin also progressed, pipping South African Lloyd Harris 7-6 (8-6), 4-6, 6-1, 6-4.

And Britain’s 76th-ranked Cameron Norrie enjoyed a straight-sets 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 win over Federico Coria of Argentina.