NEW YORK // World No 1 Novak Djokovic received a free pass into the third round of the US Open when Jiri Vesely of the Czech Republic withdrew from their match on Wednesday due to a left forearm injury.
The walkover provided the top-seeded defending champion with an extended break to improve his niggling left wrist injury before his next match against either Guido Pella of Argentina or Mikhail Youzhny of Russia.
Vesely, 23, ranked 49th in the world, beat Djokovic in the second round at the ATP Masters 1000 Monte Carlo event in April in their only meeting, making him one of two top 100 players with more wins than losses against the Serbian.
World No 23 Ivo Karlovic is 2-1 head-to-head against Djokovic.
Roberta Vinci, the 2015 runner-up, and two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova booked US Open third-round spots Wednesday.
Seventh seeded Vinci, defeated by compatriot Flavia Pennetta in last year’s final, eased past Christina McHale of the United States 6-1, 6-3.
The 33-year-old Italian, playing at Flushing Meadows for the 14th time, goes on to face either Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan or Germany’s Carina Witthoeft.
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Kvitova, the 14th seeded Czech who recorded her best performance in New York 12 months ago when she made the last-eight, beat Turkey’s Cagla Buyukakcay 7-6, 6-3.
Kvitova was in her trademark all-or-nothing mood, mixing up 31 winners with 30 unforced errors against her 26-year-old opponent who was the first Turkish woman to play in the main draw at the tournament.
Up next for Kvitova is Ukrainian 22nd seed Elina Svitolina who put out Lauren Davis of the United States 6-1, 4-6, 6-3l.
Spanish fourth seed Nadal, the 2010 and 2013 champion, takes a 7-1 career record over Italy’s Andreas Seppi into their night time clash.
Seppi, ranked at 87, has never got beyond the third round in New York but he is a former top 20 player who knocked Roger Federer out of the Australian Open two years ago.
Like Djokovic, Nadal is suffering the after-effects of injury after a serious problem with his left wrist sidelined him from midway through the French Open until the Rio Olympics.
Reigning Roland Garros champion and third seed Garbine Muguruza of Spain tackles Latvia’s Anastasija Sevastova.
Muguruza needed three sets to see off Belgian qualifier Elise Mertens in a first-round tie which also saw her need a medical timeout after suffering heat exhaustion.
Angelique Kerber, the second seeded Australian Open champion who could depose Serena Williams as world No 1, faces Mirjana Lucic-Baroni.
The veteran Croatian made the last 16 in 2014 having played her first US Open back in 1997.
Two highly fancied potential title winners are also in second-round action.
Canadian fifth seed Milos Raonic, the Wimbledon runner-up, plays Ryan Harrison of the US.
In the women’s draw, American eighth seed Madison Keys meets 16-year-old compatriot Kayla Day.
RESULTS
(x denotes seeded player):
Men’s second round
• Novak Djokovic (SRB x1) bt Jiri Vesely (CZE) walkover
• Kyle Edmund (GBR) bt Ernesto Escobedo (USA) 7-5, 6-4, 6-4
Women’s second round
• Belinda Bencic (SUI x24) bt Andrea Petkovic (GER) 6-3, 6-2
• Roberta Vinci (ITA x7) bt Christina McHale (USA) 6-1, 6-3
• Lesia Tsurenko (UKR) bt Wang Yafan (CHN) 7-5, 6-3
• Dominika Cibulkova (SVK) bt Evgeniya Rodina (RUS) 6-7 (5/7), 6-2, 6-2
• Petra Kvitova (CZE x14) bt Çagla Büyükakçay (TUR) 7-6 (7/2), 6-3
• Elina Svitolina (UKR x22) bt Lauren Davis (USA) 6-1, 4-6, 6-3
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