2010 U.S. Open, Day 4: Federer, Wozniacki Make It Look Easy, Djokovic Continues Reign Of Comedic Terror

Highlights from Day 4 of the 2010 U.S. Open:

•  (2) Roger Federer def. Andreas Beck, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3.
Brace yourselves for a terrible shock: Roger Federer has rolled with ease over an outmatched opponent. I know!

•  (1) Caroline Wozniacki def. Kai-Chen Chang, 6-0, 6-0.
Ouuuuch.

•  (3) Novak Djokovic def. Philipp Petzschner, 7-5, 6-3, 7-6.
Somebody get this guy a guitar and a Steve Miller Band catalog. Then just plant Brad Gilbert in front of him with a mic and watch the fireworks.

•  (19) Mardy Fish def. Pablo Cuevas, 7-5, 6-0, 6-2.
Yes, Mardy Fish is having the most successful U.S. Open of any American in the men's bracket. Do not adjust your dial.

•  James Blake def. Peter Polansky, 6-7, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4.
Blake is also having a nice time! Lookit that! We really, actually do hate that he's got to play Djokovic next.

•  Richard Gasquet def. (6) Nikolay Davydenko, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2.
After a comfy first round, top seeds are beginning to drop, and this was one ugly drop.

•  (5) Robin Söderling def. Taylor Dent, 6-2, 6-2, 6-4.
Robin Soderling needs a nickname, don't you think? Robin Grizzfellow?

•  (4) Jelena Jankovic def. Mirjana Lucic, 6-3, 3-6, 6-2.
With the amount of time both ladies spent sniping at the refs, this may as well have been a five-set match.

•  Kei Nishikori def. (11) Marin Cilic, 5-7, 7-6, 3-6, 7-6, 6-1.
After close to five hours in searing summer heat, one assumes Cilic was just happy to leave the court with his life, if not a win.

•  (14) Maria Sharapova def. Iveta Benesova, 6-1, 6-2.
Sharapova continues to sail; hungry ad execs rejoice.

For more U.S. Open coverage, visit SB Nation's Daily Forehand.

No. 3 Novak Djokovic is never a disappointment with a mic in front of him, which is why we're thankful he continues to win matches at the 2010 U.S. Open. The more of him on camera, the better.

That may be a poor choice of words, given his post-match interview Thursday night after defeating Germany's Philipp Petzschner 7-5, 6-3, 7-6. An entertaining evening that saw several fans removed from the stands for fighting and two hotly-contested sets was capped off by Brad Gilbert asking Djokovic whether he had a tweener shot like Federer's in his arsenal. His response:

"No, I have something else between my legs."

[pause for uproarious laughter from the crowd]

"Don't worry. I will not show it to you tonight."

Mercifully, the producers know better than to put the camera on Gilbert by this time, but you can imagine his reaction. Win or lose (he next faces James Blake), Djokovic is the clear star of early-round play, at least from a ratings perspective.

For more U.S. Open coverage, visit SB Nation's Daily Forehand.

James Blake is not having a particularly sunny summer, but he's following up a knee injury and a crummy first-round exit at Wimbledon with a nice little stateside run at the U.S. Open. In front of a supportive home crowd, he dispatched Canada's Peter Polansky, 6-7, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4. Blake will need all the support (and luck) he can get going forward, however: Next up for him is No. 3 Novak Djokovic.

For more U.S. Open coverage, visit SB Nation's Daily Forehand.

Bethanie Mattek-Sands has never advanced to the third round of a Grand Slam tournament, and she won't get the chance at the U.S. Open. The American fell in the second round to Andrea Petkovic of Germany, 6-3, 3-6, 5-7. Petkovic will face the winner of the Agnieszka Radwanska-Shuai Peng match.

For more U.S. Open coverage, visit SB Nation's Daily Forehand.

For someone who hasn't advanced past the third round of the U.S. Open since 2006, No. 14 Maria Sharapova's certainly having an easy time of it in 2010. She handily defeated Iveta Benesova 6-1, 6-2, and will face American Beatrice Capra for a chance to snap her own third-round losing streak.

For more U.S. Open coverage, visit SB Nation's Daily Forehand.

No. 4 Jelena Jankovic needed just three sets to put away Croatia's Mirjana Lucic, 6-3, 3-6, 6-2, in second-round U.S. Open play, but both players added considerable time to their match quibbling with court officials.

Jankovic advances to face Kaia Kanepi of Estonia in the third round.

For more U.S. Open coverage, visit SB Nation's Daily Forehand.

Robin Söderling has eliminated yet another American from the U.S. Open, defeating Taylor Dent in second-round play, 6-2, 6-2, 6-4.

Everybody's favorite grizzled Swede moves on to face Thiemo de Bakker of the Netherlands in the third round.

For more U.S. Open coverage, visit SB Nation's Daily Forehand.

Roger Federer made quick work of Andreas Beck in the second round of the 2010 U.S. Open, winning 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 Thursday afternoon. The second-seeded Federer needed only 101 minutes to take care of Beck, who double faulted 11 times in the match.

Federer didn't have to do much. He was only broken once and didn't seem bothered by the nasty heat.

It was painful to watch at times, but Kei Nishikori's 5-7, 7-6, 3-6, 7-6, 6-1 victory over No. 11 Marin Cilic in the second round of the 2010 U.S. Open was a pretty incredible result. The match came in a minute short of five hours, an insane amount of time to be playing on a scorching hot afternoon.

"It was hot today," Nishikori said afterward. "But you know, feeling good now."

Both players didn't look like they could move toward the end. It wasn't pretty: Cilic made 93 unforced errors; Nishikori made 77.

Sixth-seeded Nikolay Davydenko was upset by Richard Gasquet, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2, in the second round of the 2010 U.S. Open Thursday afternoon. ESPN's Brad Gilbert called the result "an absolute beatdown."

Davydenko looked listless in the heat and Gasquet quickly took advantage. The Frenchman needed only about an hour and a half to dispose of Davydenko.

So much for Caroline Wozniacki being soft. The top women's seed steamrolled Kai-Chen Chang, 6-0, 6-0, in the second round of the 2010 U.S. Open Thursday. Wozniacki needed a cool 46 minutes to complete the double bagel.

Chang, to be frank, had nothing in this match. Wozniacki hit only seven winners and still didn't drop a game.

Mardy Fish did what fellow American Andy Roddick couldn't: win his second-round match at the 2010 U.S. Open. On Thursday morning, the 19th-seeded Fish beat Pablo Cuevas, 7-5, 6-0, 6-2.

Fish's serve was on throughout the two-hour match. He was only broken once, in the first set. Fish was also an efficient volleyer, winning 21 of 25 net points.