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New York - Novak Djokovic continued his dominance of Richard Gasquet on Saturday beating the Frenchman in straight sets to move smoothly into the US Open last 16.
Sixth-seeded Djokovic, seeking to add to the US Open titles he won in 2011 and 2015, triumphed 6-2, 6-3, 6-3 before a rowdy night crowd on Arthur Ashe Stadium. It was his 13th victory over Gasquet in 14 career meetings.
Djokovic, irked by a lapse of concentration that cost him a set against Tennys Sandgren in the previous round, sailed through the first two sets against Gasquet.
Up a break at 3-2 in the third, he found himself fighting off two break points -- letting loose a roar and exhorting the crowd after coming out on top in a rally that had the stands rocking.
"It was a great match from the beginning to the end," Djokovic said.
"Obviously in the third set Richard raised his level. The crowd was amazing toward the end of the match, it was a real night session match here at the US Open.
He booked a fourth-round meeting with unseeded Joao Sousa of Portugal, who upset 17th-seeded Lucas Pouille of France 7-6 (7/5), 4-6, 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/5).
"He's a fighter, he's a grinder," Djokovic said of Sousa. "He will not hand you the victory, you've got to earn it."
Djokovic, who battled injury and self-doubt before ending his Grand Slam drought with a 13th major title at Wimbledon, stayed on course for a quarter-final showdown with 20-time Grand Slam champ Roger Federer.
US Open results on Saturday, the sixth day of the 2018 tournament at Flushing Meadows (x denotes seeded player):
Men
3rd round
David Goffin (BEL x10) bt Jan-Lennard Struff (GER) 6-4, 6-1, 7-6 (7/4)
Kei Nishikori (JPN x21) bt Diego Schwartzman (ARG x13) 6-4, 6-4, 5-7, 6-1
Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) bt Alexander Zverev (GER x4) 6-7 (1/7), 6-4, 6-1, 6-3
Novak Djokovic (SRB x6) bt Richard Gasquet (FRA x26) 6-2, 6-3, 6-3
Joao Sousa (POR) bt Lucas Pouille (FRA x17) 7-6 (7/5), 4-6, 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/5)
John Millman (AUS) bt Mikhail Kukushkin (KAZ) 6-4, 4-6, 6-1, 6-3
Roger Federer (SUI x2) bt Nick Kyrgios (AUS x30) 6-4, 6-1, 7-5
Women
3rd round
Carla Surez Navarro (ESP x30) bt Caroline Garcia (FRA x6) 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 (7/4)
Maria Sharapova (RUS x22) bt Jelena Ostapenko (LAT x10) 6-3, 6-2
Madison Keys (USA x14) bt Aleksandra Krunic (SRB) 4-6, 6-1, 6-2
Dominika Cibulkova (SVK x29) bt Angelique Kerber (GER x4) 3-6, 6-3, 6-3
Aryna Sabalenka (BLR x26) bt Petra Kvitova (CZE x5) 7-5, 6-1
Naomi Osaka (JPN x20) bt Aliaksandra Sasnovich (BLR) 6-0, 6-0
Marketa Vondrousova (CZE) bt Kiki Bertens (NED x13) 7-6 (7/4), 2-6, 7-6 (7/1)
Lesia Tsurenko (UKR) bt Katerina Siniakov (CZE) 6-4, 6-0
