Tournament: US Open 2016
Date: 7 September, Tuesday
Time: 8:30am SGT/6am IST/1:30am BST
Venue: Flushing Meadows, New York
TV Channel: Eurosport will provide live TV coverage in Singapore
Live Updates: Live Scores can be tracked on US Open's official website
Overview:
Novak Djokovic reached the quarter-final of the 2016 US Open after featuring in only eight games over his first four rounds. After the Serb clinched an opening round win against Jerzy Janowicz, the next full match he played was against his last-16 opponent Kyle Edmund on Monday.
While Djokovic took the court against 21-year-old Brit, the focus was on the Serb's lack of match practise in the the tournament owing his to his opponents' withdrawal and retirement in the second and third rounds. However, Djokovic showed he was ready for the business end of the tournament as he crushed Edmund 6-2, 6-1, 6-4 at the Flushing Meadows despite having issues with his elbow.
It is time now for Djokovic to face a sterner test as he takes on Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who is one of the three Frenchmen in the quarter-final of the tournament. Tsonga's team must have noticed Djokovic getting his trainer's assistance during the third set of his third round clash. The two-time champion got his elbow massaged and took a little while to gain back his composure against Edmund. Notably, the elbow was treated on the opening day as well.
Meanwhile, World No. 11 Tsonga has looked impressive over the last week dropping only two sets enroute to his clash with Djokovic. He looked fit and trim and moved well across the court while outclassing big-serving Kevin Anderson in Round 2. Paying no heed to crowd pressure, Tsonga overcame local favourite Jack Sock, who won the mixed doubles Gold and men's doubles Silver at Rio Olympics, in the third round.
The Frenchman would want to rely on his ability to serve strong, against which Djokovic has slightly struggled in the recent past. Tsonga will be hoping to bring back memories of the 2010 Australian Open quarter-final in which he came back from behind and rallied past Djokovic.
However, Djokovic holds the upper hand when it comes to numbers. The two-time champion has 15 wins when compared to Tsonga's six in their head-to-head meetings. But when the two players last met at the Indian Wells in March 2016, Tsonga tested his higher-ranked opponent before going down 7-6 (2), 7-6 (2).
Wednesday's match will be a battle between Djokovic's fitness and Tsonga's consistency. Tsonga, who has looked good on hard courts, has the best chance against a jaded Djokovic to make his maiden grand slam bid stronger. On the other hand, the 2016 Australian Open and French Open winner needs to battle his elbow as well as his promising opponent if he wants to make amends for his Wimbledon disappointment.
