5 shocking results from Day 5 at US Open 2024 ft. Novak Djokovic's shock upset
The 2024 US Open continues to produce high-voltage drama and top-quality action on day 5 of the tournament. Defending champions Coco Gauff and Novak Djokovic were in action on August 30, playing their third-round contest.
Gauff was given a tough fight by Elina Svitolina and had to come back from a set down to book her spot in the next round at the US Open. Aryna Sabalenka and Alexander Zverev also won their matches after losing the first sets against Ekaterina Alexandrova and Tomas Martin Etcheverry, respectively. Other big winners from day 5 of the tournament were Taylor Fritz, Casper Ruud, Zheng Qinwen, and Andrey Rublev.
However, many star players were knocked out of the 2024 US Open, and here's a rundown of the five most shocking results of day 5 of the year's last Grand Slam:
#5 Victoria Azarenka
Victoria Azarenka made a steady to her campaign at the 2024 US Open, with wins over Ukrainian qualifier Yulia Starodubtsewa and Clara Burel. The Belursian, seeded 20th, faced Wang Yafan in the third round on August 30. Wang reached her maiden US Open third round after defeating Maria Sakkari and Diane Parry and made a great start against Azarenka by taking the first set.
Azarenka raised her level in the second set to level the scoreline. However, the two-time Grand Slam champion could not sustain Wang's ball striking and committed too many unforced errors in the deciding set. Wang raced to a 4-0 lead in the third set and eventually won the match 6-4, 3-6, 6-2. She will now face Paula Badosa in the fourth round.
#4 Lorenzo Musetti
Paris Olympic bronze medalist Lorenzo Musetti faced tough challenges in his opening rounds at the 2024 US Open. Seeded 18th, the Italian needed four sets to dispatch Reilly Opelka in the first round and just edged past Miomir Kecmanovic in the second. Musetti's luck eventually ran out as he bowed out of the tournament in the third-round contest against Brandon Nakashima.
Nakashima was high on confidence after wins over Tommy Paul, Taylor Fritz, and Holger Rune over the past few weeks. The 23-year-old American continued his excellent form against Musetti as he bettered the Italian over four sets, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (4) to notch yet another top-20 win. Nakashima will now face fourth seed Alexander Zverev.
#3 Madison Keys
Madison Keys was defending 780 points at the 2024 US Open after a semifinal finish last year. She made a comfortable start to her campaign in New York, beating Katerina Siniakova and Maya Joint in straight sets to reach the third round and face Elise Mertens. Both women struggled to hold the serve in the first set, which went into a tiebreaker.
Keys, the 14th seed, edged past Mertens to take the one-set advantage, only for the Belgian to nullify the lead in the second set. Mertens raised her level considerably in the second and third sets to save the breakpoints on her serve and break Keys once in each set to register a 6-7 (5), 7-4, 6-4 win. Mertens will now face second seed Aryna Sabalenka.
#2 Ben Shelton
Ben Shelton was also tasked with defending with 780 points at the 2024 US Open and did well enough to beat Dominic Thiem and Roberto Bautista Agut in his opening matches without dropping a set. This set up an entertaining clash between Shelton and Frances Tiafoe in the third round. The duo faced each other in the US Open quarterfinals last year in which Shelton emerged victorious.
Both men played phenomenal tennis in front of a jam-packed Arthur Ashe Stadium. Shelton made good use of his big, booming serves to fire down 21 aces, but Tiafoe did well to carve out a staggering 21 breakpoint opportunities throughout the match. The duo split the first four sets 2-2 to force a decider, in which Tiafoe broke Shelton once to seal a remarkable 4-6, 7-5, 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-3 victory and avenge last year's defeat.
#1 Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic's title defense at the 2024 US Open came to a stunning end on August 30, as the Serb was defeated late into the night by rising Australian star Alexei Popyrin. Djokovic came to New York directly after winning the Olympic gold medal in Paris and kicked off his bid for a fifth US Open title with wins over Radu Albot and Laslo Djere.
In the third round, the second-seeded Serb faced an in-form Alexei Popyrin, fresh from his maiden Masters-1000 title in Canada. Popyrin showed his talent and class to take the first two sets. Despite struggling with serve, Djokovic did well to halt a straight-set bashing by grabbing the third set. However, it did not faze Popyrin, who regrouped in the fourth set and closed out the match 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4.
This was the biggest win of Alexei Popyrin's career, and he will now face Tiafoe in the fourth round of the US Open on 1st September. As for Djokovic, his quest for his first title on the 2024 ATP Tour will continue for now.