NEW YORK — Nick Kyrgios stood amazed, his mouth agape and his eyes popped wide over a shot his opponent had just made in the third set of their third-round match on Saturday.

Kyrgios had scooped a drop shot at a seemingly safe angle, but Roger Federer sprinted a few feet wide of the doubles alley, reached down with the head of his racket about 2 inches off the surface of the court, and tapped a forehand around the net post.

The ball lifted less than a foot into the air and bounced past Kyrgios, a winner for Federer. The moment of brilliance, one of the many dazzling shots that Federer has produced at various points in his illustrious career, caused a sustained roar from the crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

But perhaps no one appreciated the shot more than its victim.

“If anyone else is doing those shots against me, I’m probably not too happy,” Kyrgios said. “But it’s Roger. I was pretty happy.”

Kyrgios, a 23-year-old Australian, is an immensely talented and often inscrutable player who has been criticized for boorish behavior and a periodic lack of interest on the tennis court. He even received unwanted attention for being the focus of an encouraging speech from a chair umpire during his second-round match at the U.S. Open on Thursday.

Here was something else: Kyrgios was actually happy to see his opponent score a significant point against him in a match Federer would go on to win, 6-4, 6-1, 7-5, to reach the fourth round.

“It was almost unreal,” Kyrgios said. “Almost got to the point where I wanted him to start making shots like that.”

For a moment, after the ball slid past him, Kyrgios transformed into a star-struck tennis fan, even waving briefly to get Federer to look at him so he could demonstrate his appreciation directly to the great champion.

Federer had already begun walking back to the baseline to receive the next serve. So Kyrgios gently bounced a ball off his racket toward Federer, who glanced back and smiled. He, too, had to appreciate the sheer genius he had just displayed.

Djokovic cruises through 3rd round

Novak Djokovic moved closer to a possible U.S. Open quarterfinal against Roger Federer with an efficient 6-2, 6-3, 6-3 victory over No. 26 Richard Gasquet in the third round.

Djokovic saved all five break points he faced.

He is now 13-1 for his career against Gasquet, including 11 wins in a row.

Djokovic has won two of his 13 Grand Slam titles at Flushing Meadows. He’ll face Joao Sousa of Portugal in the fourth round Monday. Win that, and a meeting with 20-time major champion Roger Federer could be next.

Reigning Wimbledon champion eliminated

For the second year in a row, four women will split the year’s four Grand Slam titles.

Wimbledon champion Angelique Kerber fell, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 to Slovakia’s Dominika Cibulkova on Saturday at the U.S. Open, joining Australian Open champion Caroline Wozniacki and French Open champion Simona Halep on the list of women upset on Louis Armstrong Stadium.