Novak Djokovic Breezes Into US Open Third Round
Top seed Novak Djokovic defeated France's Paul-Henri Mathieu 6-1, 6-3, 6-0. He will face Sam Querrey for a place in the round of 16.
World number one Novak Djokovic breezed into the third round on a blustery day at the US Open on Thursday, defeating France's Paul-Henri Mathieu 6-1, 6-3, 6-0.
Serbia's Djokovic, the 2011 champion who has played in the last four finals at Flushing Meadows, will face Sam Querrey for a place in the round of 16.
Querrey, one of just three US men to make it into the second round, advanced with a 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 win over 28th-seeded Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez.
Djokovic, who captured his seventh Grand Slam title at Wimbledon in July, didn't seem to notice the wind swirling inside Arthur Ashe Stadium, firing 13 aces and 33 total winners past Mathieu.
"It's very windy, but I managed to adjust to the conditions that obviously are not easy for myself and my opponent," Djokovic said. "I managed to play better in the important moments, play solid, use my serve efficiently -- with accuracy rather than speed."
Djokovic looked more uncomfortable being asked post-match to demonstrate some dance steps for the crowd than he did facing anything that Mathieu threw at him.
He was looking forward to taking on home-grown favorite Querrey, perhaps in a marquee night match sure to stir up the New York crowd.
"Of course he's one of the top Americans," Djokovic said. "He has a big serve. On any surface if he serves well he's dangerous to play against."