Britain's Cameron Norrie survived a tense five-set thriller against Francisco Comesaña to secure a third-round meeting with Novak Djokovic at the US Open. Norrie won 7-6 (5), 6-3, 6-7 (0), 7-6 (4) after a gruelling contest that saw him twice serve for the match before ultimately prevailing in a fourth-set tie-break.
The British No 1, who reached the fourth round at Roland Garros and the quarter-finals at Wimbledon this year, appeared in control after taking a two-set lead. However, his nerves surfaced as he neared victory, and he wasted a 4-1 lead with a double break in the fourth set before serving for the match at 5-4. At 5-6, Comesaña hit a backhand that was initially thought to be a winner, but the umpire ruled it out, giving Norrie a reprieve. He then held serve to force a tie-break, which he won with two unreturned first serves.
Djokovic earlier advanced with a 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-3, 6-1 win over American Zachary Svajda. The Serbian struggled early, losing the first set in a tie-break, before Svajda's movement was hampered by a left leg problem. Djokovic took advantage, winning 11 of the next 13 games to close out the match.
Djokovic admitted he was not at his best but expects to improve as the tournament progresses. “I didn’t feel that great to be honest. I wasn’t happy with my tennis for the first part of the match,” he said. “It was unfortunate that he struggled with injury… but kudos to him for staying on the court.” Djokovic has not played since Wimbledon, prioritising family time over the Toronto and Cincinnati Masters.
In the women's draw, fourth seed Jessica Pegula, last year's finalist, eased past Anna Blinkova 6-1, 6-3 to reach the third round.
