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Itauma vs Hrgovic: Briton punches himself out and is stopped in round nine

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Hrgovic – wearing the red and white checks of his country – made his entrance first to a wall of boos, before the mood inside the O2 Arena flipped as Itauma emerged to a huge roar – taking his time and soaking up the reception.

The crowd had made its allegiances clear after a fiery build-up which included Itauma shoving Hrgovic, the Zagreb man slapping him back and plenty of verbal sparring.

Itauma came out with real intent, landing straight lefts from his southpaw stance. Hrgovic is known for his durability but struggled to keep pace with the Briton’s speed early on.

Early in the second, a right hook knocked Hrgovic off-balance and his glove touched the canvas. Oasis star Noel Gallagher and boxing legend Prince Naseem Hamed were among those watching as the crowd gasped at almost every Itauma punch, whether it landed or not.

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But by the end of the third, Itauma – who had boxed just 26 professional rounds before his first world-title fight – was already breathing heavily.

There had also been questions over his chin, simply because it had never really been tested. Hrgovic began landing the occasional heavy shot but Itauma took them well and fired straight back.

A fight in the crowd momentarily took attention away from the action in the fifth before an Itauma uppercut in the closing seconds brought the focus back to the ring.

Itauma continued to fire combinations but Hrgovic was barely budging. A huge right landed on the bell in the sixth and another followed in the seventh, yet the Croatian simply walked through them.

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The Briton was well ahead but, rather than box his way towards victory, he continued to chase the knockout. A flurry in the eighth backed Hrgovic on to the ropes and had him in trouble, but Itauma was grimacing between exchanges and looking increasingly spent.

By now the danger was clear. Hrgovic came out with renewed purpose in the ninth and landed a thudding right which sent Itauma staggering backwards, almost through the ropes.

The youngster somehow stayed upright but his legs had gone. Hrgovic continued to press and when Itauma slumped into his corner, exhausted and barely able to defend himself, the towel came in.

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Novak Djokovic vs Mariano Navone preview, head-to-head, odds, prediction & betting tips

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30 August 2026

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Match Details

Fixture: (4) Novak Djokovic vs Mariano Navone

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Date: August 30, 2026

Tournament: US Open Tennis Championships

Round: First Round (Round of 128)

Category: Grand Slam

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Surface: Outdoor hard

Venue: USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, Queens, New York City

Prize Money: $108,000,000

Live Telecast: USA – Tennis Channel | UK – Sky Sports | Canada – TSN

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Novak Djokovic vs Mariano Navone preview

Fourth seed Novak Djokovic will face off against unseeded Mariano Navone in the first round of the 2026 US Open on Sunday.

Djokovic enters off a three-set loss to Thiago Agustin Tirante in the second round of the Cincinnati Masters. This defeat snapped a run that had included a semifinal appearance at Wimbledon and a runner-up finish at the Australian Open earlier this year. At 39, he’s now made a Grand Slam semifinal or better at two of the four majors in 2026, showing he’s still a threat deep into these events despite the occasional early loss elsewhere.

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Meanwhile, Navone comes on the back of a straight-set loss to James Duckworth in Winston-Salem, despite pushing it to a tiebreak in the second. He’s had a breakout season overall, highlighted by his maiden ATP title at the Tiriac Open in Bucharest back in April, and he’s already matched his win totals from each of the last two full seasons combined.

Novak Djokovic vs Mariano Navone head-to-head

Their current head-to-head record stands at 0-0.

Novak Djokovic vs Mariano Navone odds

Player Moneyline Handicap Bets Total Games
Novak Djokovic -525 -6.5 (-135) Under 34.5 (-115)
Mariano Navone +360 +6.5 (-105) Over 34.5 (-125)

(Odds via BetMGM)

Novak Djokovic vs Mariano Navone prediction

Djokovic’s return game remains his defining edge, statistically still one of the best returners on tour, and he’s backed that up with a genuinely strong 2026, an Australian Open final and a Wimbledon semifinal among the highlights. Navone’s second serve has also been a genuine vulnerability of late, sitting around 42% of points won behind it in recent months, well below tour average, which plays directly into Djokovic’s biggest strength.

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Navone’s actual counter here is his own return game. He’s been the more disruptive returner in his recent matches, taking close to 48% of opponents’ second-serve points, numbers that suggest he can create pressure even against a bigger name. But Djokovic’s own service numbers have held up well this season too, running above his career averages in first-serve points won, so Navone’s return quality would need to be near its peak just to generate the looks he’d need.

The bigger factor might simply be physical. Navone’s already logged a long season with a title run and multiple deep finals, while Djokovic, at 39, has generally managed his schedule carefully and arrives comparatively fresher heading into a best-of-five format.

Pick: Djokovic to win in four sets.

Novak Djokovic vs Mariano Navone betting tips

Tip 1: The match will have at least 30 games.

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Tip 2: Navone to win a set with a score of 7-5 or better.