ONE IN A MILLMAN
UNSEEDED Australian John Millman has turned the US Open upside down with a colossal fourth-round upset win over 20-time grand slam champion Roger Federer.
In a life-changing performance, Millman left Federer — and fans at Arthur Ashe Stadium — shell-shocked with a 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (9-7), 7-6 (7-3) comeback victory to book a quarter-final date with another of tennis’s all-time greats, Novak Djokovic.
Not since Pat Rafter handed a tantrumthrowing Federer a tennis lesson on the-then 18-yearold’s grand slam debut at Roland Garros in 1999 had an Australian conquered the great Swiss at a major.
Since then, nine Australians — including Nick Kyrgios only two days ago, Mark Philippoussis in the 2003 Wimbledon final and Lleyton Hewitt seven times — had fallen prey to Federer in 20 straight grand slam matches over almost 20 years.
But Millman stared down the greatest player of the professional era to send the world No.2 crashing to his earliest grand slam defeat in almost four years.
“I’m probably in a little bit of disbelief,” Millman said.
“I have so much respect for Roger and everything he’s done for the game. He’s been a hero of mine and today he was definitely not at his best.”
The upset for the ages looked remote when Federer broke Millman — playing his first fourthround match at a slam at age 29 — in the second game of the match en route to taking the opening set in routine fashion. “I felt like a bit of a deer in headlights to begin with, to be honest with you,” Millman said.
“The feet weren’t moving. Roger had it on a string, he was manipulating me around the court.
“I got out of a tough second set and really found my feet and started to be a bit more aggressive.
“I started to serve really well and probably capitalised a little bit on Roger having an off service day.”
Federer had full respect for Millman, but he could not have expected Millman to maintain such a high level for more than 3½ hours.
In addition to earning a crack at Djokovic tomorrow for an improbable place in the semi-finals, Millman is guaranteed a $US475,000 ($A660,000) payday and a rankings rise to No.37 in the world.
Should he defeat Djokovic, he will leapfrog Kyrgios to become Australia’s new No.1.