Djokovic overcomes flat start to reach US Open quarter-finals

Novak Djokovic of Serbia gestures after a point against Jenson Brooksby - Reuters

NEW YORK (Reuters): An out-of-sorts Novak Djokovic scraped his way to a 1-6 6-3 6-2 6-2 win over American wildcard Jenson Brooksby on Monday to move into the US Open quarter-finals and three wins from tennis immortality.

Chasing a 21st major that would seal a calendar year Grand Slam, Djokovic had difficulty getting into gear against the 99th ranked Brooksby, who for a moment looked capable of derailing the Serb.

For the second consecutive match the world number one came out flat and dropped the opening set, something he will not want to do in his quarter-final when he faces Italian Matteo Berrettini in a rematch of the Wimbledon final which he won in four.

The sixth seeded Italian will mark a big step up in quality for Djokovic, who has not faced anyone ranked inside the top 50, including a qualifier and a wildcard.