US Open 2023: Must-watch matches on Day 5 include Djokovic

We are through two rounds at the 2023 US Open and most of the top seeds are still alive. We did have a bit of sadness on Thursday as John Isner lost and as he had announced his retirement prior to the tournament, his career is now done. But one player who is still playing at an exceptionally high level is Novak Djokovic.

Luckily for tennis fans, Novak Djokovic is robotically taking down his opponents at the US Open and he will play again on Friday. He will face his fellow Serbian in Laslo Djere. Djere is a good player, and one Djokovic cannot overlook, and the two have only faced one time before.

This means Djokovic will not be overly familiar with his opponent. If Djere is looking for any kind of edge, that might be it. Otherwise, Djoko is clearly the better player and should take the match in straight sets. Djokovic also appears extremely motivated after his loss to Carlos Alcaraz at Wimbledon to reclaim his place at the top of tennis in most people’s view. Surely he is destined for the US Open final.

Day 5 at the US Open will feature Novak Djokovic

On the women’s side, top-seed Iga Swiatek, who hasn’t truly been challenged at the tournament, will play Kaja Juvan. Juvan qualified to get into the US Open, but she’s playing extremely well, too. Swiatek should win, but Juvan is playing with a lot of confidence.

Media darling sixth-seed Coco Gauff could face a stern test from 32nd-seed Elise Mertens. Mertens has been around long enough to know how to pose a challenge to nearly anyone. She defeated Danielle Collins to get into the third round. But my expectation is Gauff wins the match in three sets.

Caroline Wozniacki continues her comeback from being off for a few years and will play Jennifer Brady. If Woznicki plays well, she should win and move into the second week of the tournament.

Four American men will play on Friday. The ever-fun and 10th-seeded Frances Tiafoe plays Adrian Mannarino. Mannarino can be tricky, so Tiafoe might have a tough day. I still expect Tiafoe to win in four sets.

Ninth-seeded Taylor Fritz, 14th-seeded Tommy Paul, and Ben Shelton round out the Americans. Fritz will take on 17-year-old Jakub Menšík. Menšík might be ranked 676th in the world, but he is much better than that.

The final match of the day will feature fourth-seeded Elena Rybakina and 30th-seeded Sorana Cirstea. Rybakina should win in straight sets. (But me writing that means she won’t win a game against Cirstea.