Novak Djokovic follows Roger Federer on massive hard-court Major record

At the beginning of the season, Novak Djokovic scored the 75th Australian Open victory in the title match against Dominic Thiem, securing the eighth Melbourne crown. After the coronavirus outbreak, Novak is the clear favorite to pick up the second hard-court Major title of the season in New York, advancing into the last 16 at the US Open in style. Entering the event with 72 victories, Novak took down Damir Dzumhur and Kyle Edmund to improve his tally and move ahead of Ivan Lendl, becoming the fourth-best player at the US Open in terms of triumphs after Jimmy Connors, Roger Federer and Andre Agassi. Novak's 75th New York's win came on Friday against Jan-Lennard Struff, toppling the German in straight sets to become the second player in history with 150 triumphs at hard-court Majors, following Roger Federer who stands on 191!

With 42 notable ATP titles on hard by his name, Novak is the most decorated player on the most common surface, winning the most recent title on Saturday in Cincinnati (played here in New York) and hoping for more of the same at the US Open. Djokovic scored the 150th Major victory on hard thanks to a 6-3, 6-3, 6-1 triumph over Jan-Lennard Struff in an hour and 43 minutes. The Serb had 34 winners and 23 unforced errors, controlling the scoreboard and pushing the German to the limits from start to finish. Struff couldn't match Djokovic's pace, getting broken five times from 11 opportunities offered to world no. 1 who never put a foot wrong in his 26th win of the season from as many encounters. After a successful challenge, the Serb survived the opening game, fending off a break point with a service winner and holding after two deuces thanks to a powerful serve.

Novak Djokovic has won 75 matches at the Australian Open and the US Open each. 

Servers barely lost a point in the next four games, with the German repelling the first break point with a service winner in game six, leveling the score at 3-3 to stay on the positive side. Djokovic held after deuce in the next one with a service winner, sending the pressure to the other side of the court and securing a break a few minutes later when Jan-Lennard sprayed a forehand error. Serving for the set, the three-time champion blasted a service winner for a 6-3 in 38 minutes, happy with how he performed. Serving at 91%, Novak lost five points behind the initial shot in set number two, mounting the pressure on the other side of the net after producing 11 winners and seven unforced errors. Struff found it hard to beat those numbers, getting broken twice to send Novak further in front.

Djokovic converted the fourth break opportunity in the opening game with a forehand crosscourt winner, holding at 15 with an unreturned serve to open a 2-0 gap. Jan-Lennard claimed the third game with an ace, reducing the deficit and playing well until game nine when Novak grabbed the second break following a backhand mistake from his rival, taking a big step towards the finish line after only 72 minutes. Keeping a high-level pace, the Serb had 12 winners and seven unforced errors in set number three, fending off three break chances in games one and seven and seizing the victory with a double break. The top seed survived two break points in the opening game, clinching a break at love in game four to forge a 3-1 advantage. Novak embraced another return game to open a 5-1 lead, repelling a break chance in game seven to move over the top and advance into the last 16 for the 13th time at the US Open.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/330hJ0L