Top-seeded Novak Djokovic punctuated his 6-0, 6-0, 6-2 victory over Argentina’s Carlos Berlocq at the U.S. Open on Thursday with his sweetest shot of the night -- a backward, between-the-legs trick shot that veered low and perfect over the net.
Berlocq couldn’t handle it the shot and Djokovic, always the entertainer, cupped his hand to his ear to bask in the applause.
“I played good tennis, tried to win,” Djokovic said. “On the other hand, we tried to engage the crowd. It was nice. A lot of entertainment. Long, attractive points, the through—the—leg shot and things like that. It was a really, really good third set.”
Entertaining, indeed, though there really was only one dramatic story line on this night- Whether Berlocq, ranked 74th, would get a game. Djokovic won the first 14 and appeared on track to become the first man to win a U.S. Open match at love, love and love since Ivan Lendl in 1987.
But trailing 2—0 in the third, Berlocq caught a net cord to get a pair of break points against Djokovic. After Djokovic saved the first, Berlocq hit a running backhand winner to get on the board -- and get a standing ovation from the fans at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
They saw very little competitive tennis on this day. Five matches on the U.S. Open show court were won by a combined score of 72 games to 14.
“One of the guys, on the way out, said, ‘Listen, I paid 100 bucks and you’re only staying for an hour and a half on the court. Give me something else. Give me a racket or something,’” Djokovic said.
But nobody can say these two didn’t put on a show. Leading 1—0 in the third set, Djokovic and Berlocq exchanged six straight volleys; Djokovic won the exchange to close out the game, then celebrated by high—fiving a fan.
Earlier, trailing 5—0 in the second and with no real answers for his opponent, Berlocq tried his own ‘tweener,’ but his between—the—legs shot hit the bottom of the net. The crowd cheered wildly anyway.
“All I can do is give my best,” Berlocq said. “This guy is a player from another planet. So all I can do is try my hardest.”
Indeed, Djokovic is having an unheard—of season and so far, he’s been piling on at Flushing Meadows. He has lost a total of three games over his first two matches at the year’s final Grand Slam. His first opponent retired while trailing 6—0, 5—1.
Djokovic improved to 59—2 on the season and moved a win closer to his third major title of the year -- a title that would cement this as one of the best seasons in tennis history.
Next up for Djokovic -- a third—round match against Russia’s Nikolay Davydenko, a four-time Grand Slam semi-finalist, including twice at the U.S. Open.
