World No.1 Novak Djokovic brushed aside Briton Kyle Edmund 6-7 (7-5) 6-3 6-4 6-2 on Wednesday after a sluggish start to remain unbeaten in 2020 and move into the third round of the US Open.
On a hot, humid day at Flushing Meadows, Edmund was left bathed in sweat while a cool and collected Djokovic stayed on course for his 18th grand slam title and improved his 2020 match record to 25-0.
It stands as the second best start to a season since the Serb went 41-0 in 2011.
With the two other members of the sport’s Big Three – Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal – absent from the tournament, Djokovic is heavy favourite to hoist the trophy and the Serb overcame a slow start to show why.
Edmund took a tight opening set, laying down an ace to clinch the tiebreak 7-5.
It was only the sixth set Djokovic had dropped going all the way back to the Australian Open and he did not surrender another to the 44th-ranked Briton.
A serve that was misfiring in the first began to find the mark in the second, the Serb securing the early break on an Edmund double fault on the way to levelling the match.
Djokovic again seized the initiative in the second with back-to-back breaks to jump ahead 4-1 but struggled to close out the set, Edmund rallying to cut the advantage to 5-4 before the three-times champion held for a 2-1 lead.
When Djokovic broke to open the fourth Edmund’s last bit of resistance vanished and the Serb delivered an emphatic knockout punch.
German No.5 seed Alexander Zverev fought off a spirited challenge from American wildcard Brandon Nakashima to claim a 7-5 6-7 (10-8) 6-3 6-1 win.
Zverev did not drop serve in a solid all-round display but was stretched to four sets by teenager Nakashima, ranked 223 in the world.
“I didn’t get broken even though my second serve was shaky a little bit,” Zverev said.
“My backhand was shaky too. I will have to go practise some more.”
Zverev was on the front foot from the start against Nakashima but failed to convert any of his first three break point opportunities in the fifth game.
The German was not to be denied at the fourth attempt as he went on to clinch the opening set before Nakashima, who reached the US Open junior semi-finals last year, came out fighting with some relentless baseline hitting.
Nakashima, who is coached by 1987 Wimbledon champion Pat Cash, earned two set points in the second with a delicate drop shot but a lapse in concentration allowed Zverev to recover and force a tiebreak.
Despite taking a 5-0 lead, Nakashima needed a further five set points and a Zverev double fault to level the contest.
Zverev needed to find another gear in the third set and he delivered with an early break before moving 2-1 ahead in clinical fashion.
With momentum firmly on his side, Zverev broke Nakashima’s serve three more times to book a place in the third round.
