US Open 2021: Novak Djokovic launches calendar Slam quest with win; qualifier stuns Pablo Carreno Busta

New York: World number one Novak Djokovic won without playing his best to reach the second round of the US Open on Tuesday in his quest for a calendar-year Grand Slam and record 21st major title. The 34-year-old Serbian star dominated much of the way in beating 18-year-old Danish qualifier Holger Rune 6-1, 6-7 (5/7), 6-2, 6-1 after two hours and 15 minutes in the night feature at Arthur Ashe Stadium. “It wasn’t the best of my performances,” Djokovic said. “At the same time, he played well in the second set when it mattered and I didn’t serve well in the second set.” History-chasing Djokovic , who has won eight of the past 12 Grand Slam events, will next face 121st-ranked Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor, a rival the top seed admitted he didn’t know much about. “I know this court well,” Djokovic said. “Hopefully that’s going to help.” Djokovic would complete the first men's singles calendar-year Slam since Rod Laver in 1969 by winning the crown on the New York hardcourts. He would also break the deadlock for all-time men's Slam titles at 20 which he shares with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, both absent due to injuries, as is defending champion Dominic Thiem. Rune, ranked 145th, began cramping in the third set and struggled to finish. “From the third or fourth game in the third set, he couldn’t move much,” Djokovic said. “You could see he struggled a lot. I feel for him.” Djokovic won the first set in 26 minutes without facing a break point, fell behind 3-0 to start the second before battling into the tie-breaker, where Rune grabbed leads of 4-0 and 6-3. After two Djokovic service winners, he sent a backhand service return long to drop the set. In the third set, Djokovic broke to lead 3-1 and Rune began getting treatments between games, grimacing at times and struggling to run for shots to the end. Zverev stretches streak [caption id=“attachment_9928211” align=“alignnone” width=“640”]  Alexander Zverev moved to the US Open second round with a comfortable straight sets win over Sam Querrey. AP[/caption] Tokyo Olympic champion Alexander Zverev stretched his win streak to 12 matches and warned he’s aiming to deny top-ranked Novak Djokovic the calendar-year Grand Slam. Fourth-seeded Zverev, coming off Japan gold and a title two weeks ago at Cincinnati, dispatched American Sam Querrey 6-4, 7-5, 6-2 in a first-round match at Arthur Ashe Stadium. “I hope in two weeks’ time I’ll be on an 18-match winning streak,” said Zverev, who would claim his first Grand Slam title if he creates such a run. The 24-year-old German, who lost to Austrian Dominic Thiem in last year's US Open final , hit 18 aces and 40 winners while never facing a break point in advancing after an hour and 40 minutes. “It’s great to be back,” Zverev said. “Hopefully I’ll play a few more matches here and it will be even more entertaining.” “Novak is chasing history,” Zverev said. “But the young guys are going to try and get in the way of that. I’m going to try to give him a challenge as well.” Zverev, who next faces Spain’s Albert Ramos-Vinolas, is a potential semi-final foe for Djokovic and beat him in the Olympic semi-final , rallying from a set and a break down. “I was also the only person to beat him at a very big event this year,” Zverev said. “Everything else he has won. He’s the favourite. No question about that. “I hope I can keep the level up and maybe even play better because to beat Novak here is going to be an extremely difficult task.” Barty, Nishikori win World number one Ashleigh Barty, coming off wins at Wimbledon and Cincinnati, began her chase for back-to-back Slam titles by defeating Russian Vera Zvonareva, the 2010 US Open runner-up, 6-1, 7-6 (9/7) in 88 minutes. The 25-year-old Australian next faces Denmark’s Clara Tauson as she goes for her sixth title of the year. “It has certainly been really enjoyable right from the start,” Barty said. Czech fourth seed Karolina Pliskova, the runner-up to Barty at Wimbledon and the 2016 US Open runner-up, defeating 130th-ranked US teen wildcard Catherine McNally 6-3, 6-4. “I started really well, lost my focus a little bit at the end of the first set,” Pliskova said. “My serve was not really there today. It would be better if I could serve better.”

Good win today! pic.twitter.com/8NSCH8YElK

— Kei Nishikori (@keinishikori) August 31, 2021

Japan’s Kei Nishikori, the 2014 US Open runner-up, eliminated Italy’s 113th-ranked Salvatore Caruso 6-1, 6-1, 5-7, 6-3. Next up for the 56th-ranked Asian star is 61st-ranked American Mackenzie McDonald - who ousted Belgian 27th seed David Goffin 6-2, 7-5, 6-3 - with Djokovic a possible third-round opponent. “I had a great start,” Nishikori said. “He really pushed me back and he was playing better. Good to fight through something like this.” Nishikori lost to McDonald in a Washington semi-final four weeks ago. “I hope I can do revenge,” Nishikori said. Wimbledon runner-up Matteo Berrettini, a US Open semi-finalist two years ago, defeated France’s Jeremy Chardy 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (9/7), 6-3. Canadian sixth seed Bianca Andreescu, the 2019 US Open winner who skipped last year’s event, struggled but outlasted Swiss Viktorija Golubic 7-5, 4-6, 7-5. Qualifier Cressy stuns ninth seed Carreno Busta [caption id=“attachment_9928241” align=“alignnone” width=“640”]  Maxime Cressy stunned ninth seed Pablo Carreno Busta in the first round of US Open. AP[/caption] French-born US qualifier Maxime Cressy fired 44 aces in pulling off a first-round shocker, eliminating Spanish ninth seed Pablo Carreno Busta in a five-set thriller. The 24-year-old American saved four match points in battling back to defeat the Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist 5-7, 4-6, 6-1, 6-4, 7-6 (9/7). “The fifth set he would not give me anything,” Cressy said. “I just kept telling myself to focus on holding my serve efficiently.” Down 5-2 and 6-3 in the tie-breaker, Cressy went to the net and extended the match with strong volley work. Carreno Busta, a 2017 and 2020 US Open semi-finalist, smashed his racquet to the court after sending the final shot wide after three hours and 35 minutes. “One point at a time. I just tell myself the same thing at that point in the match and today it came out my way,” Cressy said. “I’m really happy things are starting to pay off.” World number 151 Cressy made his tour-level debut at last year’s US Open as a wildcard. He reached his first ATP quarter-final in July at Newport. A crowd of about 1,500 on an outer court chanted his name and backed him to the finish. “That lifted me big time. Really helped me out,” Cressy said. “It would have been really difficult without them.” Next for Cressy is a second-round match against Georgia’s 39th-ranked Nikoloz Basilashvili.