WHAT HAPPENED: Three-time US Open champion Novak Djokovic fought off a valiant effort from Juan Ignacio Londero to notch a 6-4, 7-6, 6-1 victory that was anything but easy.
In the second-round encounter—played in Arthur Ashe Stadium on Wednesday evening—Londero came out swinging, ripping vicious forehands cross court that seemed to temporarily stun Djokovic at the start.
The 26-year-old Argentinian broke early to take a 3-2 lead in the opening stanza, but Djokovic righted himself and began to regain control of rallies, using his brilliant return of serve to break Londero twice in closing out the set. While Djokovic’s serve under the closed roof was not working at its best at the start of the match, he was able to withstand the pressure from Londero by utilizing perfectly placed drop shots on critical points.
In between the first and second sets, Djokovic received some on-court treatment for his left shoulder. And it appeared that something was indeed amiss as Djokovic was broken to start the second stanza, serving two double faults in the opening game. Londero continued to play inspired tennis— to the thrill of the large crowd in Arthur Ashe Stadium—and raced to a 3-0 lead by returning the favor in the drop shot department, deftly moving Djokovic from side to side, leaving the defending champion visibly frustrated.
Yet as is so often the case with the world No. 1, Djokovic broke back immediately and he began to use his vast arsenal of shots, including two brilliantly placed lobs to be on the verge of taking a two-set lead. But in yet another subtle momentum shift, Londero continued to stick around and stole a break back to force the tiebreak. The tiebreak however proved anticlimactic as Djokovic easily took the game and the two-set lead before closing out the match with a drama-free third set.
WHAT IT MEANS: Djokovic is no doubt pleased that he escaped the encounter without dropping a set. One rarely sees the world No. 1 pushed so hard in an early round of a Slam, and all credit goes to Londero who kept up his powerful assault even when down. But in the end, Djokovic's return game—as is so often the case—proved to be too much for his opponent.
MATCH POINT: Djokovic awaits the winner between fellow serb Dusan Lajovic, ranked No. 29 in the world, and American Denis Kudla. On the two occasions Djokovic and Lajovic have played against each other, Lajovic has managed to win a total of four games. In their only meeting, in the third round of Wimbledon 2019, Djokovic beat Kudla in straights.
