Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic, one of the greatest to ever play the game, was upset at the U.S. Open Friday night. Djokovic fell in the third round with a 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 loss to 28th-seeded Alexei Popyrin of Australia.

No. 2 seed Djokovic’s loss came just one night after No. 3 seed Carlos Alcaraz, who entered the U.S. Open as the favorite to win the tournament, was defeated in the second round.

“It was just an awful match for me,” Djokovic said. “I wasn’t playing even close to my best. It’s not good to be in that kind of state where you feel OK physically, and of course you’re motivated because it’s a Grand Slam, but you just are not able to find your game. That’s it. The game is falling apart, and I guess you have to accept that tournaments like this happen.”

CARLOS ALCARAZ UPSET IN SECOND ROUND AT US OPEN BY BOTIC VAN DE ZANDSCHULP IN STRAIGHT SETS

Djokovic had sought to become the first player in tennis history with 25 Grand Slam singles titles. But he instead completed a year without claiming at least one major championship for the first time since 2017. Before then, 2010 was the last time he finished a year without a major championship.

This year marks the first season since 2002 that Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer did not win a Slam trophy.

Djokovic’s third-round exit matches his worst showing at Flushing Meadows, with the only other times he was beaten that early at the U.S. Open coming in 2005 and 2006.

US OPEN PLAYER THAT LOST TO COCO GAUFF ADMITS TO NAPPING BETWEEN MATCHES

Novak Djokovic, of Serbia, reacts against Alexei Popyrin, of Australia, during a third round match of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Friday, Aug. 30, 2024, in New York. (AP)

He has reached the final in Arthur Ashe Stadium 10 times, and won the title in 2011, 2015, 2018 and 2023.

However, on Friday, he double-faulted 14 times and appeared physically sluggish and emotionally flat. This comes after securing his first Olympic gold medal for Serbia by beating Alcaraz in the final at the Paris Games earlier this month.

“Obviously, it had an effect,” Djokovic said. “I spent a lot of energy winning the gold, and I did arrive to New York just not feeling fresh mentally and physically. But because it’s the U.S. Open, I gave it a shot and I tried my best. I mean, I didn’t have any physical issues. I just felt out of gas. And you could see that with the way I played.”

Alexei Popyrin, of Australia, reacts against Novak Djokovic, of Serbia, during a third round match of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Friday, Aug. 30, 2024, in New York. (AP)

Popyrin will now attempt to reach his first Grand Slam quarterfinal, after beating Djokovic, as he looks to defeat No. 20 Frances Tiafoe, who outlasted No. 13 Ben Shelton in an all-American match that lasted 4 hours, 3 minutes on Friday evening.

“If he serves well, plays well, he can beat anybody,” Djokovic said about Popyrin. “Look, Alcaraz is out. I’m out. Some big upsets. The draw is opening up.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

A look at how the top 25 high school football teams in the Southland fared this week.

Rk.; School; This week; Next game

1; MATER DEI (1-0); idle; vs. Bishop Gorman, Friday

2; ST. JOHN BOSCO (2-0); def. El Paso (Texas) Eastwood, 71-14; at Sierra Canyon, Saturday

3; CORONA CENTENNIAL (0-2); lost to Santa Margarita, 31-15; vs. Provo (Utah) Timpview, Friday

4; MISSION VIEJO (2-0); idle; vs. Henderson (Nev.) Liberty, Friday

5; ORANGE LUTHERAN (2-0); def. Rancho Cucamonga, 45-14; vs. Baltimore St. Frances at Orange Coast Col., Friday

6; JSERRA (2-0); def. Aquinas, 35-0; vs. Clovis North, Friday

7; OAKS CHRISTIAN (1-1); lost to Sierra Canyon, 35-10; vs. Eastvale Roosevelt, Friday

8; SIERRA CANYON (2-1); def. Oaks Christian, 35-10; vs. St. John Bosco, Saturday

9. GARDENA SERRA (1-1); def. Warren, 36-0; vs. Long Beach Poly at San Diego Cathedral, Saturday

10; MURRIETA VALLEY (1-1); lost to Servite, 37-17; vs. Murrieta Mesa, Sept. 13

11; SANTA MARGARITA (1-1); def. Corona Centennial, 31-15; vs. Bakersfield Liberty at Trabuco Hills

12; SERVITE (2-0); def. Murrieta Valley, 37-17; at Chaminade, Friday

13; OAK HILLS (1-0); vs. Highland, late; at Palmdale, Thursday

14; VISTA MURRIETA (1-0); vs. Murrieta Mesa, late; vs. Valencia, Thursday

15. CHAPARRAL (2-0); def. Apple Valley, 49-28; vs. Temecula Valley, Sept. 12

16; SAN CLEMENTE (1-1); def. Oak Ridge, 30-23; at La Costa Canyon, Friday

17; UPLAND (2-0); def. Norco, 34-17; vs. Villa Park at El Modena, Saturday

18; EDISON (0-2); lost to Yorba Linda, 22-21; at Lakewood, Friday

19; SIMI VALLEY (2-0); idle; at Royal, Friday

20; CHAMINADE (0-2); lost to San Diego Cathedral, 34-13; vs. Servite, Friday

21; LOS ALAMITOS (2-0); def. Narbonne, 49-6; vs. Mililani (Hawaii), Friday

22; LONG BEACH POLY (0-2); lost to San Diego Lincoln, 42-14; vs. Gardena Serra at San Diego Cathedral, Saturday

23; ST. BONAVENTURE (2-0); def. Birmingham, 41-27; vs. S.F. Riordan at Ventura College, Friday

24; CHARTER OAK (2-0); def. Chino Hills, 34-21; at Muir, Friday

25. PALOS VERDES (1-1); lost to Carlsbad, 33-7; vs. Corona del Mar, Friday

In the latest episode of “Fansville,” Deputy Quinn Ewers is urged to call for backup but resists. After a brief exchange with his fellow officer, Texas’ third-year starting quarterback delivers the punchline.

“We don’t need any backup, even if he has great hair and famous relatives,” Ewers said.

The allusion to Arch Manning is both an amusing moment and clever writing in Ewers’ national Dr Pepper commercial. But it also hints at the unique dynamic at Texas. Ewers, the former No. 1 recruit in America, is one of the most well-known names in the sport, a Heisman Trophy candidate who took the Longhorns to the College Football Playoff last year.

Yet Manning, the nephew of Peyton and Eli Manning, grandson of Archie Manning and son of Cooper, still looms large, at least figuratively, because of those famous relatives and Arch’s lofty recruiting status (he also was the No. 1 recruit in his class). That Arch has appeared in two games and attempted just five passes in his Longhorns career yet is still given a wink and a nod in the starting quarterback’s ad underscores the intrigue surrounding him.

But 19 months into his college career, we’ve seen only 27 game snaps of Arch, which only heightens the fascination (fans love the backup quarterback, right?). How much will we see of the redshirt freshman in 2024?

Manning remains patient

One of the first questions casual observers ask about Manning is whether he has considered transferring since he hasn’t started. To this point, Manning has given no indication that’s in the cards.

It’s fair to wonder because transfer quarterbacks have become the norm. Of the 68 power conference teams, 43 are expected to start transfers this season, according to Yahoo Sports, a 63 percent rate.

But when asked in December before the Sugar Bowl whether he considered making a move while practicing as third on the depth chart most of the season, Manning said no.

“I haven’t looked into transferring at all,” he said then. “I’m just focused on developing and helping this team in any way I can. And hopefully one day playing for the University of Texas like I’ve always wanted to.”

This summer at the Manning Passing Academy, he reiterated his desire to stay in Austin while acknowledging how tough it is to stay patient.

“It’s tough because you want to be out there playing with your boys,” Manning said in July. “But (it came down to) just realizing there’s nowhere else I want to be, and it was my dream to play at Texas. I’m going to stick it out and play there eventually.”

GO DEEPER

Arch Manning and other QBs explain decision to transfer or stay put

Manning and his family put a lot of time and care into the recruiting process. Arch knew what he was stepping into with Ewers already at Texas. The chance to develop under Texas coach Steve Sarkisian, who has a long track record of coaching successful quarterbacks, was important to Manning.

Sarkisian’s pupils include former USC quarterbacks Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart and Mark Sanchez, former Washington quarterback Jake Locker and former Alabama quarterbacks Tua Tagovailoa and Mac Jones.

“Part of your recruiting is your track record,” Sarkisian said at SEC media days. “We’ve been fortunate to coach some pretty good quarterbacks. We’ve been fortunate to do it for some decades now. We’ve been fortunate to have some really good quarterback rooms, and I think the Manning family is pretty well aware of that.

“I think they trained Arch to try to put himself in the best position to try to play in the best conference in America and then ultimately put himself in the best position to further his career playing in the National Football League.”

Because of that plan, Sarkisian doesn’t think Manning’s decision to wait it out has been too difficult.

“I think Arch’s development has been important to the family, and he’s reaping the benefit of those things,” Sarkisian said. “It hasn’t been very difficult at all. I think it’s been pretty simple for him.”

In Texas’ spring game, Arch Manning completed 19 of 25 passes for 355 yards and three touchdowns. (Sara Diggins / USA Today)

Ewers is entrenched as the starter

Going into 2024, there’s no doubt who QB1 is at Texas and there shouldn’t be. Ewers, who bypassed the NFL Draft to return for one more season, took big steps forward in 2023. He substantially improved in most major statistical categories including completion percentage (58.1 to 69 percent), passing yards (2,177 to 3,479), touchdowns (15 to 22), yards per attempt (7.4 to 8.8) and passer rating (132.6 to 158.6). He also became more consistent.

This year, he’s starting to have the look of a leader. Sarkisian said in July that even though his physical development and progression have been great, he has been more excited about Ewers’ personal and emotional development.

“That has instilled a ton of confidence in everybody in our building,” Sarkisian said. “He walks in that building like he is the starting quarterback at the University of Texas for a top-five football team, and I think that has permeated throughout our locker room. …

“Now do I want more touchdowns, less interceptions, higher completion percentage? Of course. But I think those things are a byproduct of his preparation, are a byproduct of the confidence that he exudes and the way he goes to work.”

History says the Longhorns will need Arch at some point

In each of Sarkisian’s three seasons, he has had to turn to his backup quarterback. In 2021, he benched Hudson Card for Casey Thompson two weeks into the season but wound up needing both down the stretch because of injuries.

In 2022, Ewers missed three games with an injury and missed two more last year. With this season potentially longer because of the 12-team Playoff, it stands to reason that, at some point, the Longhorns need to turn to Manning.

“Very comfortable if Arch goes in the game that he’ll go in and operate and operate at a high level,” Sarkisian said Thursday.

There’s excitement around Manning’s development

Last season was a learning experience for Manning. After starting his entire high school career, sitting on the bench as QB3 was a challenge, especially in his first months on campus.

“There were a lot of tough days. I’m not going to lie,” Manning said in December. “I was never a backup in high school. There are some days when you graduate early, you’re alone in your dorm room and you’re like, ‘It’s another day of fighting for the third-string job.’”

In his first spring game, things were clearly moving fast for Manning. By the time he made his college debut against Texas Tech, flashes of his athletic ability and arm talent were present. But there were still some freshman jitters as he dropped a shotgun snap.

This spring, he showed significant growth. Manning dazzled in the Orange and White game, looking comfortable, confident and in command while throwing for 355 yards and three touchdowns. He was accurate with four of his seven incompletions hitting a receiver’s hands.

With Texas’ 2023 backup, Maalik Murphy, having transferred to Duke, Manning is the clear No. 2 quarterback. Sarkisian said as the Longhorns embark on the 2024 season, Manning has taken a big step forward in his development.

“I’d probably say (he’s) light-years ahead of where he was last year at this time,” Sarkisian said Thursday. “His understanding of what we’re trying to do offensively, the nuances of the scheme, the timing of certain throws, the protections, all of those things. And I just think his overall comfort level and confidence is much higher than it was a year ago at this time.”

On Monday, Sarkisian said he wants to play a lot of players in the early part of the season as Texas develops depth for a season it hopes extends into mid-January. “If you’re in the two-deep, you’re playing in the first half,” Sarkisian said.

Does that mean Manning will play in the first half Saturday against Colorado State?

“We’ll find out,” Sarkisian said.

(Photo: Tim Warner / Getty Images)