Australian Open: Set taken from Djokovic, Enzo Cuco beaten with honors

This game has yet to be learned and Enzo Cuco did not miss the game against Novak Djokovic, who won quite quietly in four sets 6-1, 6-7 (5/7), 6-2, 6-0 this Thursday. But not without giving up the 2nd round to the French burning throughout the round.

For the 27-year-old Kuko, world No. 191, after qualifying and winning the first round against Bolivian Hugo Dellien (131st) 6-4, 7-5, 6-0, it was his first main draw appearance in Melbourne. and hence his first gallop against arena favorite Rod Laver.

The Frenchman, for whom this is only his fourth Grand Slam appearance (the round took place at Roland-Garros in 2021), stumbled in his tennis, lost 6-1 in the first set before showing his full talent in the second .

Not satisfied with three break points up his sleeve, the Frenchman rose to the Serb’s level for play-off space by attacking Djokovic. He brought 3 points to zero, equalized, then again prevented the fifth player in the world from completing the set, while the latter served at 5 points to 4. After that, solid and aggressive in the exchange, Kuko pushed Joko back into his trenches. the moment of return to the round is everywhere, by the double mistake of the latter.

Unfortunately for the French, the trunk turned out to be the wrong one. The nine-time winner from Melbourne turned the bolts from the start of the 3rd set and brought the meeting in two sets 6-2, 6-0.

“We have to give credit to Enzo who was able to take the match to the fourth set,” Djokovic said on the court, refusing to dwell on a hip injury that clearly hampered him.

The Serb, who was not allowed to play last year due to a lack of a coronavirus vaccine, got away with an opponent who was not very experienced at this level, but his behavior is worrisome until the end of his tournament before he faces Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov (28th) for reaching the 1/8 finals.

Significantly limited in movement from a score of 4-5 in the second set, he asked for a medical time-out to go to treatment.

During this very tense match, due to the Serbian’s uncertainty about the strength of pain, the severity of the injury and his ability to resist it, he unexpectedly asked the referee to remove a spectator too noisy for his taste.

“There is a guy drunk as a pig who provokes me from the first moment. What are you going to do ? Why don’t you ask security to get him out? – the player asked the referee when the score was 2:0 in the fourth set. Four troublemakers were actually removed during the next side change. And Joko ended the match.