Cameron Norrie battled hard for four hours on an atmospheric Court 5 to set up a third round US Open clash against Novak Djokovic at Flushing Meadows.

Norrie scrambled his way past Francisco Comesana of Argentina 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 6-7 (0-7) 7-6 (7-4).

The left-hander, who reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon in 2022, faces Djokovic on Friday knowing this could be his best chance against a fatigued 38-year-old despite a 0-6 record.

Henman: Brilliant from Norrie

Sky Sports’ Tim Henman:

“It’s so good to watch and that’s Cam’s bread and butter for me. It was brilliant and fair play to his opponent, he never let his head drop and he was close to making it a fifth.

“He certainly took me by surprise. When he goes back and analyses the numbers, he was winning 70 per cent when he was coming up to the net, and it’s something he can come back and repeat; he was very strong.

“For Norrie to put out that performance, he will revel in this and take so much confidence from getting the job done.”

Broady: Norrie’s aggression helps him win

Sky Sports’ Naomi Broady:

“I was convinced we were going to five. Norrie was just being so aggressive, and he did such a good job staying brave in the fourth set tie-break.

“He looked so unwell in Cincinnati, so it’s great to see he is fighting fit. We don’t want more withdrawals after we’ve seen [Jack] Draper withdraw.”

Smith: Norrie has to play brave against Djokovic

Davis Cup captain Leon Smith spoke to Emma Paton about Norrie’s chances against Djokovic in the next round.

“It was a bit of a crazy match in the end,” he said. “The way he regrouped was absolutely brilliant. Cam was applauding the Argentine fans in the end, which was great.

“Norrie has been great at the Grand Slams, he had a good run at French Open and then a great one at Wimbledon.

“Norrie always does a lot of work and has a loyal team around him.

“Norrie has to play brave against Djokovic; he needs to be aggressive, extend points, get a set on the board and take it from there.

Djokovic struggles continue

Djokovic’s US Open struggles continued but the 24-time Grand Slam champion avoided his earliest ever exit at Flushing Meadows.

Djokovic admitted after a four-set win over Learner Tien in round one that he had not felt good physically and he again looked distinctly uncomfortable in the first set of his clash with qualifier Zachary Svajda.

The American won that on a tie-break to forge an unlikely lead on Arthur Ashe Stadium but Djokovic fought back to claim a 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 6-3 6-1 victory.

“I didn’t feel that great to be honest,” said the 38-year-old. “I wasn’t happy with my tennis for the first part of the match, but also credit to Zach for playing some really high-quality tennis.

“It was unfortunate that he struggled with injury towards the end of the second set, but kudos to him for staying on the court. It was obvious he couldn’t serve as well as he did for a set-and-a-half.”

Djokovic’s shock loss to Alexei Popyrin in the third round last year matched his earlier defeat in New York, while he has never lost a grand slam match to a player ranked as low as world number 145 Svajda.

But Djokovic could not find anything like his normal level in the first set, and it was Svajda who seized his opportunity to clinch the tie-break.

Slowly Djokovic began to find his range, with his opponent now struggling physically, and, although he was briefly a break up in the third set, Svajda’s challenge faded fast.

Asked whether he feels he can play himself into form, Djokovic said: “That’s what I’m hoping, that was the case for most of my grand slam career. The deeper I go in the tournament, the better I feel about my game.”

The tennis world is waiting for Brazilian wonder kid Joao Fonseca to make his big Grand Slam breakthrough but that will not come here, with the 19-year-old beaten 7-6 (7-4) 6-2 6-3 by 21st seed Tomas Machac.

Twelfth seed Casper Ruud was knocked out by world No 107 Raphael Collignon in a gruelling five-set encounter, which the Belgian won 6-4 3-6 3-6 6-4 7-5. He will next face Czech 20th seed Jiri Lehecka.

Fourth-seeded American Taylor Fritz fought back after a first-set wobble to defeat Lloyd Harris 4-6 7-6 (7-3) 6-2 6-4.

Last year’s women’s finalist Jessica Pegula stormed into the third round with a straight-sets victory over Russian Anna Blinkova, triumphing 6-1 6-3. The fourth seed will play Belarusian Victoria Azarenka next.

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