US Open 2020: Novak Djokovic vs Jan-Lennard Struff preview, head-to-head & prediction
Match details
Fixture: Novak Djokovic vs Jan-Lennard Struff
Date: 4 September 2020
Tournament: US Open 2020
Round: Third round (Round of 32)
Venue: Flushing Meadows, New York, USA
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Outdoor hardcourt
Prize money: $39,024,000
Match timing: 7 pm EDT, 4.30 am IST
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel / ESPN | India - Star Sports / Disney+ Hotstar VIP
Novak Djokovic vs Jan-Lennard Struff preview
World No. 1 Novak Djokovic overcame the loss of his first tiebreak of the year to beat Kyle Edmund in the second round of the 2020 US Open on Wednesday. The the top seed now has a perfect 15-0 record in second-round matches at the tournament.
In the process, the Serb also extended his perfect start to the season to 25-0. He will now meet Jan-Lennard Struff of Germany in the third round on Friday.
Novak Djokovic has never lost at the US Open before the third round. Moreover, he has reached at least the semifinal in all but one of his 12 appearances here since 2006.
For a place in the second week of the tournament, Djokovic faces Jan-Lennard Struff in a rematch of the pair's quarterfinal at the Cincinnati Masters last week.
Unlike the top seed, the 28th-seeded Struff is yet to drop a set at the US Open this year. He took out Pedro Martinez and Michael Mmoh in successive matches to reach the third-round at the tournament for only the second time in his career.
Novak Djokovic vs Jan-Lennard Struff head-to-head
Novak Djokovic enjoys a commanding 4-0 head-to-head record against the 30-year-old Struff.
The German took his only set against the World No. 1 in the first round of the Australian Open earlier this year. However, when they met for a place in the Cincinnati Masters semifinal last week, Novak Djokovic dropped only four games in a dominant win.
Novak Djokovic vs Jan-Lennard Struff prediction
Novak Djokovic will need some stopping this year. Playing his seventh match in ten days, the Serb displayed little signs of physical exhaustion as he recovered from the loss of the opening set to down Edmund in four.
“It was anybody’s game really for a set and a half. I made some breaks and then obviously after winning the second set, I felt more comfortable. I was returning better, I started to read his serve better and I was pleased with my serve. Overall, it was a very good test and I am happy to get through,” said Djokovic in an on-court interview after his victory.
Despite dropping his serve a few times during his four-set win over Edmund, the Serb sounded bullish and confident about his chances at the tournament.
That could only mean bad news for the rest of the draw, particularly for Struff.
The German will probably need to play the best tennis of his life if he hopes to have a chance of becoming the first player to beat Djokovic this year.
Struff turned around an indifferent start to the season by winning three matches at the Cincinnati Masters last week. But his good form came to nothing as he won just four games against the eventual champion in a lopsided quarterfinal defeat.
More of the same could be in the offing for Struff on Friday.
Prediction: Novak Djokovic to win in straight sets.