New York: Veteran Indian tennis star Rohan Bopanna and his Canadian partner Denis Shapovalov on Friday (local time) progressed to the second round of the US Open men's doubles event after a straight-set win here at the Flushing Meadows.
Bopanna and Shapovalov hardly broke a sweat to get past their American rivals Ernesto Escobedo and Noah Rubin 6-2 6-4 in their tournament opener that lasted one hour and 22 minutes on Friday.
The Indo-Canadian pair will next play sixth seeds Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies.
Bopanna is the lone surviving Indian in the tournament after the exits of Sumit Nagal and Divij Sharan.
While Sumit Nagal bowed out in the second round after losing in straight sets to world no. 3 and second seed Dominic Thiem of Austria, Sharan and his Serbian partner Nikola Cacic were knocked out in the opening round of the men's doubles event by eighth seeds Nikola Mektic and Wesley Koolhof.
Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic and Petra Kvitova made it to the last 16 of the ongoing US Open after winning the third-round matches in their respective categories.
In men's singles, Djokovic defeated No. 28 seed Jan-Lennard Struff 6-3, 6-3, 6-1 in a match that lasted one hour and 42 minutes at the Arthur Ashe Stadium on Friday.
"It was a very good performance from my side. I managed to read his serve well," the top-seeded player said after the match as per the ATP Tour website. "I found my way, especially after the first set. The second and third sets were a really great feeling on the court.
"I've been playing well the past couple of weeks, training well, focussing on the right things, maintaining that level of performance and hoping for the best. I'm feeling confident about my game and taking that to every match I play," he added.
Awaiting him in the next round is No. 20 seed Pablo Carreno Busta, who breezed past Ricardas Berankis 6-4, 6-3, 6-2.
In women's singles, No.6 seed Kvitova moved past Jessica Pegula 6-4, 6-3 to advance to the round of 16 at a Grand Slam event for the 20th time in her career.
"I think the whole match was at a pretty good level," Kvitova told the media, after her win. "We both played nice tennis, I would say." She will next face another hard-hitting American Shelby Rogers, who ousted Madison Brengle earlier on Friday.
