The 2024 US Open continued on Wednesday with a strong selection of tennis stars, including Coco Gauff and Novak Djokovic, battling for the title in Flushing Meadows.

The reigning women’s and men’s champions both had some awkward moments — in Djokovic’s case, literally — but they both reached the third round without dropping a set.

After a tough first set, Gauff defeated Tatjana Maria in straight sets, outshining the experienced German player and advancing to the third round. While Gauff was able to use her athleticism to her advantage, Maria made her work in the first set, forcing herself to play all over the court.

Gauff won the first game with relative ease, but quickly found himself 2-1 down after a strong effort from Maria. Gauff evened the score with a few strong games and eventually took a 5-3 lead after winning a long game with several tiebreakers. Maria capitalized on a few unforced errors to make it 5-4 and move within one game of Gauff’s lead. Gauff remained creative after that and gained the advantage with a tricky drop shot to the inside corner.

On set point, Gauff’s confidence seemed to waver and she lost her lead after another double fault, her seventh of the set. A long rally on break point was strangely interrupted by the electronic detection system, despite the ball being well inside the line, forcing Gauff and Maria to replay the point. Eventually, Gauff, visibly frustrated with her performance so far, was able to take the first set after Maria hit the ball into the net.

Gauff came out much stronger in the second set, winning the first three games quickly. Maria tried her best for the fourth, but Gauff was eventually able to take a 4-0 lead. Gauff, who had largely exhausted the 37-year-old Maria, won the next two games 6-4, 6-0.

Gauff also struggled with errors, making nine double faults and over 20 unforced errors (particularly in the first set) to complicate what should have been an easy win. In the end, however, Gauff managed to take the win.

A few minutes later she was back on the practice track.

Djokovic had a similar problem in the next match at Arthur Ashe Stadium, where he faced a stern test from compatriot Laslo Djere, winning 6-4, 6-4, 2-0.

Djere seemed to be on the verge of scaring Djokovic for two hours, but he always came up just short. Djokovic, who at one point had trainers working on his torso, saved three break points in the first set before taking his own break and stealing the first set.

Djere took a break lead in the second set, but Djokovic responded with two consecutive breaks to take another set. After leading 2-0 in the third set, Djere retired from the match after undergoing knee surgery earlier this year.

In other major matches on the list, Americans Emma Navarro and Madison Keys both secured straight-sets wins to advance to the third round. On the men’s side, Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe will face off in an all-American third round after both won in the second round.