Djokovic beats heat to advance
Veteran continues march toward third U.S. Open crown
NEW YORK Facing much more resistance from the 32 C heat and 50 per cent humidity than from his outclassed opponent, Novak Djokovic figured he can count on cooler conditions during a night match at the U.S. Open his next time out.
The next foe? That could be Roger Federer.
Djokovic left the court at Arthur Ashe Stadium for a medical timeout — the second time during the tournament he’s sought help from a doctor because of harsh weather — during what would become an otherwise straightforward 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 victory over 68th-ranked Joao Sousa of Portugal on Monday in the fourth round at Flushing Meadows.
“I’m not 21 anymore. That was 10 years ago. I still don’t feel old. But at the same time, there is a little biological clock that is not really working in your favour,” the No. 6-seeded Djokovic told the crowd afterward. “Sometimes, you just have to survive.”
He reached the quarter-finals for an 11th consecutive time in New York as he bids for a third U.S. Open championship and 14th Grand Slam trophy. To add to his resume, though, he might need to beat Federer, who has won five of his men’s record 20 major titles at Flushing Meadows.
Federer was scheduled to play 55th-ranked John Millman of Australia in the fourth round on Monday night. Like Sousa, Millman had never before made it this far at a Slam.
The other quarter-final on the bottom half of the draw will be a rematch of the 2014 U.S. Open final: No. 7 Marin Cilic against No. 21 Kei Nishikori. Cilic, who beat Nishikori four years ago for his only major title, was a 7-6 (6), 6-2, 6-4 winner over No. 10 David Goffin, while Nishikori advanced by defeating Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-3, 6-2, 7-5.
Heat interruption did come into play during a couple of women’s matches.
It was most striking during Lesia Tsurenko’s 6-7 (3), 7-5, 6-2 win over Marketa Vondrousova, when both players seemed affected by the temperature and mugginess. Tsurenko left the court for a health check after the first set and often leaned on her racket between points, saying later she felt dizzy at the Grandstand court, which doesn’t offer shade the way the tournament’s two bigger arenas do. Vondrousova wasn’t all that sure Tsurenko had issues.
“I don’t think she was struggling so much,” Vondrousova said. “She was just acting.”
Also into the quarter-finals: 2017 runner-up Madison Keys of the U.S. and No. 20 Naomi Osaka of Japan. Osaka beat No. 26 Aryna Sabalenka 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 to earn her first trip to a Grand Slam quarterfinal.
Keys overwhelmed No. 29 Dominika Cibulkova 6-1, 6-3 thanks to a 25-7 edge in winners and now will face No. 30 Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain.
Suarez Navarro became the first player to beat five-time major champion Maria Sharapova in a U.S. Open night match, eliminating her 6-4, 6-3. Sharapova won the 2006 title in New York, but she’s now lost in the fourth round in her past three appearances.