US Open | Indian campaign ends ; Djokovic enters semis
India's challenge at the Flushing Meadows came to an end after Sania Mirza and Barbora Strycova lost in the quarter-finals of the women's doubles event. Novak Djokovic received his third walk-over/ retirement to enter the semis, while World No. 2 Angelique Kerber also advanced into the last-four.
Indian
The last remaining Indian in the fray, Sania Mirza, and her partner Barbora Strycova were pitted against top seeds Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic in the women's doubles quarter-finals.
The early parts of the match were completely dominated by the Indo-Czech pair who took an early break to go to 3-1 before Sania held her serve to make it 4-1. Looking in cruise mode as they held the lead at 5-2 and were looking to close the set with two break points, Sania and Strycova froze – they just did not finish the set there.
Sania's weakness in serve soon came back to haunt the duo as the top seeds enforced three break points, won it, before holding serve to draw par at 5-5.
With the scores at 6-6, the set headed to the tiebreaker where the French duo ran away with a 5-0 lead before winning it 7-3.
The second set was a rout as the duo broke Strycova and Sania to race to a 4-0 lead and closed the set at 6-1.
International
Novak Djokovic has played only two full matches at the Flushing Meadows enroute to his semi-final. Facing Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, the Serb was leading 6-3, 6-2 at the Arthur Ashe Stadium when Tsonga retired with a left knee injury.
At 3-2, Djokovic managed to break the ninth seed – a third double-fault from Tsonga gifted Djokovic with the early lead in the set, but the Serb gifted it back with a double-fault of his own in the next game. Tsonga pulled back with the break but was unable to carry it forward as the World No. 1 broke back immediately again and wrapped up the set 6-3.
Tsonga failed to comeback in the second set as a barrage of unforced errors plagued his game, and he lost the set 2-6. By then, the trainer was out to treat him in the left knee. That did not work, and Tsonga retired to give Djokovic his third short match – a second-round walk-over and two retirements since.
The World No.1 will face another Frenchman Gael Monfils, who beat compatriot Lucas Pouille 6-4, 6-3, 6-3.
In other quarterfinals today, second seed Andy Murray will face Kei Nishikori, while comeback hero Martin del Potro and Stan Wawrinka will play the last of the quarter-finals.
In the women's draw, German second seed Angelique Kerber defeated Italy's Roberta Vinci 7-5, 6-0.
Kerber will face Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki who beat Anastasija Sevastova easily with a 6-0, 6-2 score as the Latvian was troubled with a twisted ankle.
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