In the Round of 16 at the US Open, Novak Djokovic and Taylor Fritz took two completely different paths to their showdowns.

Djokovic, having played in back agony, proved to crush Cameron Norrie from Great Britain, winning 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-2, 6-3. The Maestro then really opened up after letting slip the second set, banging in 18 aces and 50 winners to take the match. With this victory, he maintained his unspoiled record against Norrie, besides being the oldest man since Jimmy Connors 1991 to celebrate that achievement in New York. He plays Jan-Lennard Struff of Germany next.

For Fritz, it was all about weathering the brave assault of Swiss qualifier Jérôme Kym that night. He blasted away with his massive serve so that Kym's daring strokes remained safely at bay in the first place. A rather odd affair occurred during the tiebreaker of the second set; suddenly, and in the middle of the rally, Kym lost a point due to a high shriek. Leaving aside the controversy, the 21-year-old had his moments and made a name for himself in the hearts of the crowd before heading home. Fritz's next test will be against seeded Czech Tomáš Macháč.

In this manner, both Djokovic and Fritz had their matches played, adding a lot of drama to this year's tale at the US Open.