Fri, Aug 18, 2023 page7

• Djokovic wins first singles match in the US since 2021

  • AP, MASON, Ohio
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  Novak Djokovic on Wednesday had a short night in his first singles match in the US since 2021, beating Alejandro Davidovich Fokina at the Western & Southern Open after the Spaniard retired early in the second set with a back injury.

  World No. 2 Djokovic won the first set 6-4, then two points into the second set Davidovich Fokina hunched over in pain following a return and ended the match after 46 minutes.

  “Kind of a mixed emotions tonight,” Djokovic said. “Really like Alejandro. Get along really well off the court. We train with each other while in Spain. He told me he has a lower-back issue that appeared yesterday. It’s unfortunate.”

  

  Serbia’s Novak Djokovic returns to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina of Spain in their Western & Southern Open men’s singles match in Mason, Ohio, on Wednesday.

  Photo: AFP

  Djokovic, 36, lost in the men’s doubles on Tuesday on his return to the nation after missing events because of COVID-19 vaccine restrictions. It is his first appearance in Cincinnati since 2019. The 2020 Western & Southern Open was played in New York due to the pandemic.

  It was Djokovic’s first singles match since losing to Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final. The winner of a record 23 Grand Slam singles titles, Djokovic was next to face Frenchman Gael Monfils, who is 0-18 lifetime against him.

  “Obviously, playing one set is better than not playing or losing,” Djokovic said. “I have another chance tomorrow. Kind of shaking off the rust.”

  World No. 1 Iga Swiatek has never reached the quarter-finals of the Cincinnati tournament, but she had an encouraging start to the week, beating qualifier Danielle Collins of the US 6-1, 6-0.

  “Last year, I didn’t feel confident in Cincinnati [so] it’s big progress for me,” Swiatek said. “I feel like it’s going to give me a lot of confidence. I’m happy that I can play better tennis here this year.”

  Swiatek was next to face Zheng Qinwen in the fourth round after the Chinese player rallied to defeat 43-year-old Venus Williams 1-6, 6-2, 6-1.

  The biggest upset on the women’s side was 18-year-old Linda Noskova stunning ninth-ranked Petra Kvitova 3-6, 6-2, 6-4. Kvitova reached the final last year in Cincinnati.

  World No. 4 Elena Rybakina defeated Jelena Ostapenko 6-7 (6/8), 6-2, 6-4 in a match that took 2 hours, 17 minutes.

  Fourth-ranked Stefanos Tsitsipas, who has lost in the semi-finals in Cincinnati three straight years, got past Ben Shelton of the US in straight sets, 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/2).

  “With players like this, they really have nothing to lose,” the Greek player said. “He’s still spiritually free on the court. He’s playing the game careless, just like I did when I first started.”

  It was a good day for Americans.

  Third seed Jessica Pegula staved off an upset bid from qualifier Martina Trevisan to win 6-7 (2/7), 6-2, 6-3. Coco Gauff, seeded seventh, downed Mayar Sherif 6-2, 6-2.

  In the women’s doubles round-of-32, Taylor Townsend and Alycia Parks of the US defeated Taiwan’s Latisha Chan and Yang Zhaoxuan of China 6-3, 6-3, while Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei and Wang Xinyu of China crushed Anna Blinkova and Varvara Gracheva of Russia 6-0, 6-1.

  In the round-of-16, Taiwan’s Chan Hao-ching and Giuliana Olmos of Mexico beat Asia Muhammad and Jennifer Brady of the US 7-5, 6-2.

  Additional reporting by staff writer
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