Key events
It’s a while since we reported from Court 12, where Nakashima has just been broken back by Kym for 3-3 in the fifth. On 5, a powerful hold for 6-5 guarantees Norrie a first-set beaker, but Comesana has some decent support from a few young Argentinians in the crowd.
Back on Court 5, Comesana holds for 5-5; his match with Norrie has the feel of an epic and, on Ashe, Pegula and Blinkoca are away, level at 1-1 in set one.
Tomas Machac (21) beats João Fonseca 7-(4) 6-2 6-3
That’s a fantastic win and earns Machac a meeting with Mensik or Blanchet next.
Ruud has taken over on the party court – I don’t imagine he’s happy to be there – up 1-1 3-1.
Otherwise, Fritz again makes 0-30 on the Harris serve, and Harris again holds; he leads 6-4 5-5 and is showing proper grit and skill.
Davidovich Fokina, of course, couldn’t quite close out his first tournament win in DC, losing to De Minaur after burning three match points. He found it hard to take, as you might.
While that was going on, Norrie saved break point before holding for 4-3; Machac has broken Fonseca for 2-0 4-2, administering a good, honest, old fashioned sonning-off; and Rinderknech leads Davidovch Fokina 4-3.
Back on Armstrong. Harris is struggling, down 0-40 on serve though leading 6-3 3-4. He does really well, though, to save all three break points, making a total of six for the match so far, then an inside-out forehand winner catches the outermost splash of paint. He can’t secure the hold at the first attempt but he sorts it thereafter, levelling set two at 4-4. Fritz, the no 4 seed, just can’t get on top of him.
Norrie earns three break-back points, then shanks a forehand into the net and overhits another, before Comesana steps in to pound out for deuce. No matter: two terrific points, dominated by that swinging lefty forehand, ease Norrie through deuce, and he levels the first set at 3-3.
Ruud has been serving for the second set against Collignon for about four hours now. But as I type, he finally sees it out, having gone from 5-0 to 5-3.
While we’re being shown the end of Djokovic, Comesana breaks Norrie for 3-3, then Harris returns; let’s hope he’s in good shape to compete.
Next on Ashe: Jessica Pegula (4) v Anna Blinkova.
Novak Djokovic (7) beats Zachary Svajda (5)67 6-3 6-3 6-1
Next for him: Norrie or Comesana, and either match will give us a better steer on where he’s at.
Ach, Harris seems to have a back issue that somehow penetrates into the back of his head and also his arm. I don’t remember this, but last year a back problem bothered him in the foot, and he calls the trainer then disappears for treatment. Let’s hope he’s OK; he leads Fritz 6-4 2-3.
Djokovic has broken again and now leads Svajda 6-7 6-3 6-3 5-1; he’s almost there. Likewise Machac, who leads Fonseca 7-6 6-2, while Ruud, down a set to Collignon, leads 5-2 in the second, and on Armstrong we’re still on serve in set two, Harris up 6-4 2-3 on Fritz.
Comesana, we’re reminded, only won four matches at the top level last season: two at Wimbledon and two at Flushing Meadow. The look of him suggests he fancies himself.
Aha, Sky indeed move from Djokovic, now up 2-1 4-1, to Nozza. I always enjoy watching him because there’s no one like him: lefty, huge, loopy top-spin, but also plenty of power. If he plays well, he should account for Comesana.
Norrie and Comesana will soon be under way; I’ll switch to them from Harris v Fritz if sky don’t stick them on the main channel instead of Djokovic. Either way, though, that match’ll soon be off our screens because the Goat now leads 2-1 3-0. Svajda has given a good account of himself, but he’s run out of fitness and form.
It takes a strong mind to withdraw from the final major of the year. At 23, though, Drapoer has many left, and everything I know about him tells me he’s nurtured a strong sense of perspective.
Back to Draper, his statement puts me in mind of this, from Roy Keane’s second book:
Ruud had his own traits; he could be moody at times – unlike me. But he was a good guy. He missed a Cup semi-final because of an injury – I think it was the one against Arsenal, at Villa Park, in 2004. He came down the morning of the game and said, ‘I can’t play, my knee’s sore.’And I went, ‘What’s up with you?’
I had a sore hamstring myself.
He said, ‘Oh, I’ve been feeling my knee during the night.’
And I was, like, ‘It’s the Cup semi-final, for fuck’s sake.’
He said, ‘Well, I’ve only got one body, I need to look after it.’
I was thinking he was the fool, but I think now that I probably was. I played, and my hamstring was fuckin’ killing me. I think I actually had a torn hamstring. Ruud ended up playing in Spain till he was thirty-nine, and he still looks twenty-one. And I thought he was the idiot.
On Sky, they’re mourning Draper, so we don’t see Djokovic serving out to clinch a 6-3 set; he now leads Svajda 2-1 and it’s a long way back from here. And on Armstrong, Harris does the same holding to lead Fritz 6-4.
Next on Court 5: Cameron Norrie v Francisco Comesana.
Jiri Lehecka (20) beats Tomás Martín Etcheverry 3-6 6-0 6-2 6-4
Next for him: Collignon or Ruud.
Fritz holds for 5-4, so Harris will now serve for set one. Go on Cuz! Meantime, Machac is pressing on, breaking Fonseca immediately in set two to lead 7-6 2-0, and Collignon holds to lead Ruud 6-4.
Jack Draper withdraws from the tournament
Hi guys, I’m sorry to say I’ll be withdrawing from the US open. I tried my very best to be here and give myself the every chance to play but the discomfort in my arm has become to much and I have to do what is right and look after myself. Thank you for all the support.
— jack draper (@jackdraper0) August 27, 2025
Ah man, sport is brutal. Draper got to the last four last year and will have fancied himself here. He’ll be back.
Righto, I’ve moved from Machac v Fonseca to Harris v Fritz because the underdog has broken for 4-3 in the first; as we said, the Saffer can play. Meantime, Collignon is serving for the first set against Ruud at 6-4, so that’s also one that we need to pay attention to while, on Ashe, it’s back to fearing Svajda has gone. The pace might be telling, and Djokovic breaks again for 4-3 in the third.
Now then! Just as it looks like Djokovic is assuming control, he hands over a break with a double and now Svajda leads 1-1 3-1. Of course, it may well be that he turns it around but, as he noted pre-match, continuing to play deprives him of family time and, though he’s keen to see how long he can go on at the top level, surely he’ll call it at some point soon. He’s used to winning pots, he no longer can, and however much he loves tennis, which is more than any of us love anything, it’s fair to posit he loves his wife and kids more. Anyroad, while I’m writing his professional resignation speech, he breaks back immediately, and at the same time, Machac outlasts Fonseca to take their first set 7-6(4). So far, he’s doing a decent job of attacking the backhand to take the forehand out of the equation.
I nip for a post-set comfort break and return to hear discussion about a potential injury for Svajda, who isn’t moving well anymore. There’s discussion about whether he’s hurt or just struggling with the magnitude of the moment, but after holding for 1-1 1-1, eh calls for the trainer. Meantime, Fonseca and Machac begin a first-set tiebreak, the Brazilian unleashing the forehands his opponent is trying to deny him to take a 1-0 lead that quickly becomes a 1-2 deficit.
Djokovic serves out to love, levelling his match with Svajda at one set all. For a while, he looked in jeopardy, but he stopped making unforced errors and it’d now be a surprise if he found a way to lose.
Svajda fights hard to hold for 7-6 3-5, forcing Djokovic to serve for set two. Meantime, on Armstrong, Fritz and Harris are under way and 1-1 in the first, but I’m going to stick with Fonseca 5-4 Machac, at least for a bit, and not just because the Brazilian fans are warming up. Otherwise, Lehecka now leads Etcheverry 2-1 2-0 and Collingnon is up 3-1 on Ruud, so that’s another match to keep an eye on on which to keep an eye.
At 15-all, Svajda hits a fine forehand winner with top, but from there, Djokovic, beginning to enjoy himself, serves out his consolidation. He leads 5-2 in the second, a game away from levelling the match.
However when Djokovic turns it up, Svajda can’t go with him, ceding a break for 7-6 2-4. Is that a turning point?
Elsewhere, Fonseca leads Machac 4-3l Ruud leads Collignon 1-0; and Lehecka has just taken the third set 6-2 to lead Etcheverry 2-1.
