Western & Southern Open: Serena, Djokovic get battling wins; Murray downs Zverev on day of upsets

World number one Novak Djokovic battled through neck pain on the way to a 7-6 (2), 6-4 victory over Ricardas Berankis at the Western & Southern Open, where second seed Dominic Thiem crashed out.

Former world number one Andy Murray also notched an upset, surprising world number seven Alexander Zverev 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 for his first win over a top-10 player in more than three years.

The Scot was facing defeat when Zverev served for the match at 5-4 in the third, but reeled off three straight games to seal the win.

Murray won the Cincinnati Masters in 2008 and 2011, but the former world number one is now ranked 129th after a string of injuries.

Djokovic, who pulled out of doubles with a sore neck on Sunday, made it through to the round of 16 despite the ailment, for which he received treatment on court.

“It’s getting better,” he said after the win. “It’s been four days. It’s not yet where I’d like it to be but it’s heading in the right direction.”

That’s good news with the US Open starting on August 31 on the same New York hardcourts hosting this week’s tournament, which was moved from Cincinnati to establish a quarantine bubble for the upcoming Grand Slam.

Djokovic twice went down a break in the second set, but broke back both times. He let out a roar when he broke for a 5-4 lead then calmly served it out.

He next faces American Tennys Sandgren, a 6-7 (4/7), 6-2, 7-6 (7/5) winner over 15th-seeded Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime. Another American, Reilly Opelka, beat ninth seed Diego Schwartzman 6-3, 7-6 (4).

The upset of the day was at the opposite end of the men’s draw, as 32nd-ranked Filip Krajinovic of Serbia toppled Austria’s Thiem 6-2, 6-1.

“I think I started really well today. I was aggressive and I’m really happy that I’m in the third round,” said 32nd-ranked Krajinovic, who dropped just two service points on the way to victory.

Thiem, who pushed Djokovic to five sets in an Australian Open runner-up finish in January, couldn’t find his rhythm in his first match since the ATP tour resumed after a five-month coronavirus hiatus.

“It was just a horrible game by myself,” Thiem said. Didn’t play well at all, didn’t get any rhythm. I had really troubles with returning.”

Krajinovic lined up a meeting with Hungarian Marton Fucsovics, who ousted 14th-seeded Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov 7-5, 4-6, 6-2.

Serena fights through

In women’s action, third-seeded Serena Williams bucked the upset trend that saw top seed Karolina Pliskova and number two Sofia Kenin ousted on Sunday.

The 23-time Grand Slam champion battled back from the brink against Dutch qualifier Arantxa Rus, dominating a third-set to win 7-6 (8-6), 3-6, 7-6 (7/0).

Williams dropped four straight games in the second set against the hard-hitting left-hander, who has never won a WTA title. After rallying from 0-40 down in the opening game of the third she looked to have turned the tide with a service break on the way to a 3-0 lead.

Serving for the match at 5-3 in the third, Williams was broken to love, Rus winning the next two to give herself a chance to serve it out. She was broken, and Williams crushed her in the tiebreaker to wrap up a bruising victory in two hours and 49 minutes.

“That was tough. It was a real physical match out there,” said Williams, who tried to pump herself up on the spectator-free Grandstand court with fist-pumping cries of “c’mon” and squeals of triumph and frustration.

It was Williams’ fourth three-set match since she returned at a tournament in Lexington, Kentucky, in the wake of the WTA’s coronavirus shutdown. “I’m actually super fit and I’m super ready,” she said.

Ons Jabeur knocked out defending champion and seventh seed Madison Keys in straight sets 6-4, 6-1 while Petra Kvitova, the sixth seed fell 2-6, 7-5, 6-2 to fellow Czech Marie Bouzkova.

Fourth-seeded Naomi Osaka of Japan battled back to beat Karolina Muchova 6-7 (5/7), 6-4, 6-2 while fifth seed Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus fought her way into the third round, downing American Cici Bellis 6-7 (1/7), 6-4, 7-5 while eighth-seeded Briton Johanna Konta beat Kirsten Flipkens 6-2, 6-0.

Results

Men

2nd rd

Novak Djokovic (SRB x1) bt Ricardas Berankis (LTU) 7-6 (7/2), 6-4

Tennys Sandgren (USA) bt Felix Auger-Aliassime (CAN x15) 6-7 (4/7), 6-2, 7-6 (7/5)

Jan-Lennard Struff (GER) bt Denis Shapovalov (CAN x12) 7-6 (7/4), 3-6, 6-4

Daniil Medvedev (RUS x3) bt Marcos Giron (USA) 6-4, 6-4

Aljaz Bedene (SLO) bt Taylor Fritz (USA) 7-6 (7/5), 7-5

Karen Khachanov (RUS x11) bt Pablo Carreño-Busta (ESP) 7-6 (10/8), 6-1

Roberto Bautista (ESP x8) bt Richard Gasquet (FRA) 7-5, 6-1

Matteo Berrettini (ITA x6) bt Emil Ruusuvuori (FIN) 6-4, 6-7 (3/7), 7-5

Reilly Opelka (USA) bt Diego Schwartzman (ARG x9) 6-3, 7-6 (7/4)

John Isner (USA x16) bt John Millman (AUS) 4-6, 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/5)

Andy Murray (SCO) bt Alexander Zverev (GER x5) 6-3, 3-6, 7-5

Milos Raonic (CAN) bt Daniel Evans (GBR) 6-3, 7-5

Marton Fucsovics (HUN) bt Grigor Dimitrov (BUL x14) 7-5, 4-6, 6-2

Filip Krajinovic (SRB) bt Dominic Thiem (AUT x2) 6-2, 6-1

Women

2nd rd

Elise Mertens (BEL x14) bt Kristina Mladenovic (FRA) 6-1, 6-7 (5/7), 6-3

Jessica Pegula (USA) bt Amanda Anisimova (USA) 7-5, 6-2

Aryna Sabalenka (BLR x5) bt Catherine Bellis (USA) 6-7 (1/7), 6-4, 7-5

Naomi Osaka (JPN x4) bt Karolína Muchová (CZE) 6-7 (5/7), 6-4, 6-2

Dayana Yastremska (UKR x16) bt Bernarda Pera (USA) 7-6 (7/5), 4-6, 6-3

Anett Kontaveit (EST x12) bt Jil Teichmann (SUI) 6-3, 6-4

Marie Bouzkova (CZE) bt Petra Kvitova (CZE x6) 2-6, 7-5, 6-2

Johanna Konta (GBR x8) bt Kirsten Flipkens (BEL) 6-2, 6-0

Vera Zvonareva (RUS) bt Laura Siegemund (GER) 6-1, 6-1

Maria Sakkari (GRE x13) bt Yulia Putintseva (KAZ) 6-4, 7-6 (11/9)

Serena Williams (USA x3) bt Arantxa Rus (NED) 7-6 (8/6), 3-6, 7-6 (7/0)

Christina McHale (USA) bt Ekaterina Alexandrova (RUS) 6-1, 7-6 (10/8)

Victoria Azarenka (BLR) bt Caroline Garcia (FRA) 6-2, 7-6 (10/8)

With AFP Inputs