US Open—New York, New York
No. 6 seed Novak Djokovic stormed to his third US Open title on Sunday in Flushing Meadows, New York, defeating No. 3 seed Juan Martin del Potro, 6-3, 7-6(4), 6-3.
In a match that lasted three hours and 15 minutes, Djokovic broke out to 5-3 lead in set one before taking a 3-1 lead in set two. However, del Potro made sure that the second set would be much more difficult for the Serb, forcing him all the way to a deciding tiebreaker, which lasted one hour and 35 minutes.
Winning 68 percent of his first serve points, Djokovic broke serve on four occasions and won an impressive 76 percent of his points at net (28/37).
Del Potro, who had waited nine years to return to a Grand Slam final, struck six aces, but only won 50 percent of his second serve points.
The cooler conditions in Ashe Stadium certainly did not help the Argentine throughout the encounter. The slower court surface exemplified Djokovic’s aggressive defense and it was nearly impossible for the Tandil native to hit any winners.
Tying Pete Sampras with 14 career Grand Slams, Djokovic will next see action at the Laver Cup in Chicago, before heading to Asia for a string of events. The 31-year-old will move up to No. 3 in the world on Monday. He also pocketed $3.8 million for his efforts throughout the fortnight.
Del Potro, who is currently ranked No. 3 in the world, will move to No. 4 on Monday.
