New York, August 31, 2024, The Europe Today: The fifth day of the U.S. Open brought unexpected twists and notable performances. In a major upset, No. 2 seed Novak Djokovic was eliminated in the third round by Australia’s Alexei Popyrin. Meanwhile, Chinese players Zheng Qinwen and Wang Yafan continued their impressive runs, advancing to the round of 16.
Djokovic, a 24-time Grand Slam champion, fell to Popyrin with a scoreline of 4-6, 4-6, 6-2, 4-6 on Friday, marking his earliest exit from the U.S. Open since 2006. The Serbian star struggled with his serve, committing 14 double faults, his highest tally in a Grand Slam match. Djokovic expressed his disappointment, stating, “Congratulations to him and his team. He definitely played better and deserved to win today. I didn’t have any physical issues; I just felt out of gas, and you could see that with the way I played. From the very beginning, I just didn’t find myself at all on this court.”
On the women’s side, China’s Zheng Qinwen demonstrated dominant form as she faced Germany’s Jule Niemeier. Zheng, who had previously lost twice to Niemeier, secured a decisive 6-2, 6-1 victory in just one hour and 21 minutes. Zheng’s impressive performance included an 84 percent first-serve win rate and five converted break points. Reflecting on her past loss to Niemeier, Zheng said, “I remember that match so clearly. In 2022, I lost that match to her at midnight, and it was really painful. I sat alone and cried at three o’clock. So today, when I played against her, I was really focused because I didn’t want that feeling to happen to me again.”
Zheng will next face No. 24 seed Donna Vekic, a familiar rival from the Paris Olympics final where Zheng claimed China’s first Olympic singles gold. Zheng emphasized the importance of the U.S. Open, saying, “For me, it’s just another match to go. It doesn’t matter who I play against. But of course, in the Olympic Games, I fought a lot, and I almost gave everything. I’m also going to give everything here because the U.S. Open is really important to me as Slams are always my dream.”
China’s Wang Yafan also advanced, overcoming three-time U.S. Open finalist Victoria Azarenka. Wang capitalized on Azarenka’s 32 unforced errors and converted six break points to win 6-4, 3-6, 6-1. This victory marks Wang’s first appearance in the round of 16 at a Grand Slam.
In contrast, China’s Shang Juncheng was unable to sustain his early momentum against eighth-seeded Casper Ruud of Norway. After taking the first two sets, Shang lost in five sets, exiting in the third round.
In other notable matches, fourth-seeded Alexander Zverev fought through four sets to defeat Argentina’s Tomas Etcheverry, while Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka recovered from a 2-6 first-set loss to win 6-1, 6-2, securing her spot in the next round.
Day five of the U.S. Open set the stage for thrilling matchups as the tournament progresses towards the later rounds.
