Defending champion Novak Djokovic will be aiming for a quick victory against fellow Serbian Laslo Djere on Wednesday as he continues his pursuit of a record 25th Grand Slam singles title at the US Open. Djere, currently ranked 109th in the world, was the only player to take a set off Djokovic at last year’s US Open, winning the first two sets of their third-round encounter before Djokovic eventually turned the tide.
Djokovic, who is coming off an emotional triumph at the Paris Olympics, will anchor a night session that begins with women’s defending champion Coco Gauff, at 20 years old, facing off against 37-year-old Tatjana Maria of Germany.
Djokovic, currently tied with Aussie legend Margaret Court with 24 Grand Slam titles, is aiming for his first of 2024 and has expressed his enjoyment of the energy of Arthur Ashe Stadium at night. However, the 37-year-old hinted after his Monday victory over Radu Albot that he might prefer an earlier bedtime, suggesting he’ll be even more determined to quickly dispatch Djere.
Despite his opponent’s ranking, Djokovic acknowledges Djere’s strengths. “I think he loves the conditions here,” Djokovic said. “It’s a bit quicker. Ball stays low. He has a very flat backhand particularly and very good serve, great return. He’s physically as fit as anybody.”
Fitness could be a significant factor on Wednesday, with a forecast for hot, humid conditions. This could pose particular challenges for afternoon matches, including the Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka’s encounter with Italian Lucia Bronzetti on Louis Armstrong Stadium. Sabalenka, who was runner-up to Gauff last year, is seeking to become the first woman since Angelique Kerber in 2016 to win both hard-court Grand Slam titles in the same year.
She recently warmed up for the Open by winning the hard-court tournament in Cincinnati, where she defeated world number one Iga Swiatek in the semifinals.
Seventh-seeded Paris Olympics gold medalist Zheng Qinwen and eighth-seeded Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova are also in action, with Zheng facing Erika Andreeva and Krejcikova taking on Elena-Gabriela Ruse.
Zheng, who earned China’s first Olympic tennis singles gold, is now aiming to follow in the footsteps of her compatriot Li Na as a Grand Slam winner, having fallen short against Sabalenka in the Australian Open final. She reached the quarterfinals last year in New York and is becoming comfortable with the city’s lively atmosphere. “It’s always going to be noisy in the stadium,” Zheng said, referring to the new rule where officials no longer attempt to silence fans moving around between games. “New York is busy, it’s street style. It’s different – I like it.”
Other seeded players in action on Wednesday include No. 4 Alexander Zverev of Germany and sixth-seeded Russian Andrey Rublev, a four-time US Open quarterfinalist. Eighth-seeded Casper Ruud of Norway, runner-up in 2022, will go up against the French crowd favorite Gael Monfils.
American players Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe are looking for second-round victories that would set up a rematch of their memorable quarterfinal clash from last year.
