Novak Djokovic drops 1st set to a qualifier but advances to 3rd round of US Open

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Novak Djokovic, of Serbia, reacts to the crowd after defeating Zachary Svajda, of the United States, during the second round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Novak Djokovic, of Serbia, returns a shot to Zachary Svajda, of the United States, during the second round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) — Novak Djokovic, of Serbia, reacts to the crowd after defeating Zachary Svajda, of the United States, during the second round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

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2:37 PM on Wednesday, August 27

The Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Novak Djokovic overcame a slow start to beat Zachary Svajda 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-3, 6-1 on Wednesday, remaining unbeaten for his career in the first two rounds of the U.S. Open.

Djokovic appeared to be laboring physically early in the match, as he was at times in his first-round victory. But after getting broken to fall behind 3-1 in the third set, he finally began looking like the player who has won a men’s-record 24 Grand Slam titles, including four of them in New York.

The No. 7-seeded Djokovic won the next eight games against the American qualifier to open a 3-0 lead in the fourth set and eventually closed it out in just 26 minutes after the first set took an hour.

The 38-year-old Djokovic has reached the third round in all 19 appearances in New York.

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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis