Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic advance at brutally hot U.S. Open

Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic advanced at the U.S. Open as players scrambled for relief from the heat and some retired from their matches Tuesday.

Federer, the No. 2 seed eyeing his first U.S. Open title in 10 years, had the fortune of playing his first-round match at night.

He swept Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka to advance closer to a possible quarterfinal against Djokovic.

Djokovic, an earlier four-set winner over Hungarian Marton Ducsovics, said he felt sick during a changeover.

Conditions were so difficult that U.S. Open officials extended to men an extreme heat rule that only exists on the women’s tour.

“Very brutal,” said 2014 U.S. Open champion Marin Cilic, who won his match when his…