US Open: Novak Djokovic gets 2nd free pass, will face Kyle Edmund
— -- NEW YORK -- Novak Djokovic got another free pass at the US Open, advancing when his third-round opponent, Mikhail Youzhny, stopped because of injury after only six games on Friday.
This came two days after the opponent defending champion Djokovic and No. 1 seed was supposed to play in the second round, Jiri Vesely, withdrew a couple of hours before that match because of inflammation in his left forearm.
"I don't think I ever had this kind of situation in my career,'' Djokovic said. "But considering the stage of the season, the amount of matches I've played, what I've been through with my body, I think it's actually good to have some days off and then shorter matches, from one side.
"From the other side, sure, as you are approaching second week of the Grand Slam, you want to have match play and you want to have time spent on the center court before you face one of the top players.''
Djokovic moved into the fourth round at Flushing Meadows for the 10th consecutive year.
Youzhny quit after only 31 minutes while trailing Djokovic 4-2. The Russian received treatment from a trainer early on, getting his left leg wrapped, but briefly tried to continue.
After holding serve in the sixth game, closing it with an overhead putaway up at the net, Youzhny -- a semifinalist in New York in 2006 and 2010, and a former top-10 player now ranked 61st --shook his head and told the chair umpire he couldn't keep going.
"I'll take it,'' Djokovic said. "I'm moving on and focusing on the next one.''
He will face Kyle Edmund, who upset 20th-seeded American John Isner for his second win over a top-25 player in three matches.
Djokovic arrived in New York with a sore left wrist. But in his first-round victory way back on Monday, he experienced problems with his right arm. He was massaged by a trainer after only five games, then repeatedly shook that arm or flexed his elbow and grimaced following serves, some of which were far slower than he usually hits. He also dropped a set in an opening-round Grand Slam match for the first time since 2010. ?
"The arm is doing very well. Everything ... is going in the right direction,'' Djokovic said Friday. "I feel significantly better now than I (did) at the beginning of the tournament.''
Marcos Baghdatis beat Ryan Harrison 6-3, 7-6 (4), 1-6, 6-1 to move into the round of 16 at the US Open on Friday, ending the run of the American qualifier who had pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the tournament.
Harrison had reached the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time when he defeated the No. 5 seed and Wimbledon runner-up Milos Raonic on Wednesday.
He will play 10th-seeded Gael Monfils, who beat Nicolas Almagro?6-4, 6-2, 6-4.
American Jack Sock eliminated 2014 U.S. Open champion Marin Cilic to reach the fourth round for the first time.
The 26th-seeded Sock won 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 on Friday, taking all 14 of his service games and never facing so much as one break point. And he handled the Croatian's big serve just fine, breaking the No. 7-seeded Cilic on four occasions.
Related Stories
ABC News Live