US Open: Novak Djokovic dismantles German foe to bag quarters slot

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

Novak Djokovic’s quest for a record-extending 25th Grand Slam title remains on track after demolishing Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff, 6-3, 6-3, 6-2, at the US Open on Sept. 1, 2025, at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York.

The Serbian legend delivered his most dominant performance of the tournament so far, earning a straight-sets victory after dropping a set in each of his previous two matches.

Unlike his sluggish start against Cameron Norrie in the third round, Djokovic opened the fourth round with precision and intensity in both his service and volley game.

He came out firing in the opening set, dominating the baseline with powerful groundstrokes to quickly build a 4-0 lead.

Djokovic’s serve was also in top form, finishing with 12 aces over the three sets.

Struff managed to hold serve twice in the following frames, but Djokovic’s relentless baseline attack gave him full control and a 1-0 set lead.

The German attempted to pressure Djokovic’s backhand in the second set, but the three-time US Open champion adjusted seamlessly by stepping wide to redirect forehands into open space.

With Djokovic’s forehand repeatedly landing deep on Struff’s wide side, the match quickly turned into a rout.

Djokovic added variety to his game with effective serve-and-volley plays and capitalized on a 79% first-serve win rate.

By the middle of the third set, Struff had no answers as Djokovic dissected his game with clinical precision.

Djokovic wrapped up the dominant win with 90 total points, including 53 on serve and 37 on return.

“It definitely helps if you serve well,” Djokovic said in his post-match interview.

“I think I had a great serving performance in the last round, and also tonight. Maybe I don’t need to work as hard, or unnecessarily more, than I have to. So I’m trying to use the box with the serve, as accurately and efficiently as possible.”