The Latest: Americans Li, Rogers pull off upsets at US Open

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Karolina Pliskova, of the Czech Republic, returns a shot to Caroline Garcia, of France, during the second round of the US Open tennis championships, Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

NEW YORK – The Latest on the U.S. Open tennis tournament (all times local):

6:40 p.m.

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Unseeded Americans Ann Li and Shelby Rogers have pulled off upset victories in the second round of the U.S. Open.

Li beat No. 13-seeded Alison Riske in a matchup between Pennsylvanians, 6-0, 6-3. Li, who is 20 and ranked 128th, now has two career victories over players ranked in the top 75, and the wins have come in her two matches this week.

Rogers beat No. 11-seeded Elena Rybakina 7-5, 6-1. By advancing to the third round, Rogers matched her best showing at the U.S. Open. She’s ranked 93rd.

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6:05 p.m.

Top-seeded Karolina Pliskova has been upset in the second round of the U.S. Open by Caroline Garcia of France.

Pliskova failed to convert two set points in the second set and lost 6-1, 7-6 (2).

It was the first time since 2008 that the top-seeded woman lost in the second round at the Open.

Pliskova was a finalist at the Open in 2016 for the best Grand Slam result of her career.

Garcia, ranked 50th, beat Pliskova for the fourth time in their seven meetings.

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5:35 p.m.

Novak Djokovic fell behind when he lost a tiebreaker for the first time this year but has rallied past Kyle Edmund in the second round of the U.S. Open.

The top-seeded Djokovic won 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-4, 6-2.

Seeking his fourth U.S. Open title, Djokovic lost a physical first set that took more than an hour. He had been 10-0 in tiebreakers previously this year.

Djokovic dominated from there, and won for the 19th time in his past 20 Grand Slam matches. He is 25-0 this year, including his 17th major title at the Australian Open.

Djokovic hit 16 aces and lost only 12 points on his first serve.

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4:25 p.m.

Alexander Zverev has won his second-round match at the U.S. Open, using a dominating serve to beat 19-year-old American wild card Brandon Nakashima 7-5, 6-7 (8), 6-3, 6-1.

Zverev, a German who is seeded fifth, regrouped after losing the tiebreaker when he double-faulted with a 133 mph serve. He overcame 10 double-faults, hit 24 aces and won every service game.

Zverev advanced to his first career Grand Slam semifinal at this year’s Australian Open. His best showing at the U.S. Open came last year, when he reached the fourth round.

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3:15 p.m.

This is quite a comeback.

No. 30 seed Kristina Mladenovic served for the victory while leading 6-1, 5-1 against Varvara Gracheva in the second round of the U.S. Open — and lost.

Mladenovic let that huge lead slip away, failing to convert four match points along the way, and eventually, Gracheva came all the way back to win 1-6, 7-6 (2), 6-0.

Said Mladenovic: “She was brave and she went for it.”

Gracheva is a Russian who is ranked 102nd and is a month past her 20th birthday.

This is her first Grand Slam tournament.

She will face No. 8 Petra Martic in the third round.

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2:05 p.m.

Sixth-seeded Petra Kvitova needed only two sets to reach the the third round of the U.S. Open, the Grand Slam event that his been her most elusive.

Kvitova beat Kateryna Kozlova 7-6 (3), 6-2 in an hour and 40 minutes Wednesday, overcoming her nervousness in the first set.

This is her 14th U.S. Open. It's the only Grand Slam tournament where she has failed to reach the semifinals. She reached the quarterfinals twice, in 2015 and 2017. She has two Wimbledon titles.

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1:05 p.m.

Angelique Kerber is on her way to the third round of the U.S. Open, which she won in 2016.

The No. 17 seed opened play Wednesday and beat Anna-Lena Friedsam 6-3, 7-6 (6) in an hour and 40 minutes. Kerber emerged on the WTA Tour by reaching the semifinals at Flushing Meadows in 2011. Last year, she got knocked out in the first round.

The women's bracket also had an upset Wednesday. No. 12 Marketa Vondrousova lost to Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-1, 6-2 in only 65 minutes.

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The second round of the U.S. Open is underway with a cloudy sky and a chance of rain at Flushing Meadows.

Seventeenth-seeded Angelique Kerber is getting things started in the women's bracket against Anna-Lena Friedsam, ranked No. 109 in the world. Former champion Naomi Osaka plays Wednesday night after a day off to rest a worrisome left hamstring.

On the men's side, top-seeded Novak Djokovic tries to remain unbeaten in 2020 when he plays Kyle Edmund. Djokovic is 24-0 this year, has won 18 of his last 19 matches in Grand Slam tournaments and is heavily favored to pick up his fourth U.S. Open title.

The weather could play a factor, given the chance of rain, especially through early afternoon. Temperatures of 82 degrees Fahrenheit (28 degrees Celsius) are predicted.

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