US Open Tennis 2013 Results: Early Day 5 Scores and Highlights

Novak Djokovic’s win over Benjamin Becker was one of the highlights of the early action on Friday. After struggling a bit in the first set, the top seed righted the ship and defeated the unseeded German 7-6, 6-2 and 6-2.

Djokovic moves on to the third round to face the winner of the Jarkko Nieminen-Joao Sousa match.

In the women’s draw, No. 3 Agnieszka Radwanska defeated No. 32 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in straight sets, but it wasn’t an easy match. Radwanska took the first set 6-4, but had to take the second set in a tie-breaker 7-6 (7-1). She will now face No. 24 Ekaterina Makarova in the third round. Makarova pulled a mild upset by defeating No. 16 Sabine Lisicki 6-4 and 7-5.

Also on the women’s side, No. 5 Li Na continued to roll as she defeated No. 30 Laura Robson in straight sets, 6-2 and 7-5. Li will play the winner of the Jelena Jankovic-Kurumi Nara match.

Here's a look at all the matches that were finished by 4 p.m. ET, followed by a look ahead to the night session.

Looking Ahead to the Night Session

Andy Murray Attempts to Keep the Ball Rolling into the Third Round

Can Leonardo Mayer derail defending champion Andy Murray’s chances of a repeat? It is highly unlikely. The two have met only once before and that was in 2009.

Mayer did manage to grab a set then, but there is no doubt Murray is vastly improved since their initial meeting. Anything other than a straight-sets victory would be surprising.

Serena Williams is All Business

Serena always looks determined, but she looks especially locked in in New York, even by her ultra-competitive standards. Through two matches, she has averaged only 10.5 unforced errors, per USOpen.org.

That would indicate there is a lot of focus to Williams’ game, not just intensity. She faces Yaroslava Shvedova on Friday night. Williams has won their first two meetings and I suspect she’ll make it three in a row.

 

Follow me and witness my passion for sports and video games.