Tall order
Battle of big servers should be a nail-biter at U.S. Open
NEW YORK — Don’t be surprised if there’s a tiebreaker or two when Canada’s Milos Raonic squares off with American John Isner in the fourth round of the U.S. Open.
All five of the previous matches between two of the hardest servers in men’s tennis have had at least one tiebreaker, with both players among the leaders when it comes to avoiding breaks.
It’s a rematch of a Wimbledon quarterfinal, won in four sets (the players split two tiebreakers) by Isner, the 11th seed at the U.S. Open. Raonic, of Thornhill, Ont., comes into Sunday’s match as the No. 25 seed.
“(Raonic) seems to be playing very well, I think back to his level of a few years past,” the 33-year-old Isner said after a four-set win over Dusan Lajovic of Serbia on Friday. “I mean, I have the utmost respect for him. I think he’s an excellent player, he’s proved that his whole career.
“It will be a tough match certainly. We’ve played a handful of times. Matches between us are inherently close, as you can imagine. But we’ll see what happens.”
Isner, coming off a careerbest Grand Slam (semifinals at Wimbledon), has the 4-1 lead over Raonic in head-to-head competition. Nine of their 13 sets have ended in tiebreaks.
Over the past 52 weeks, the six-foot-10 Isner leads the ATP Tour in service games won (94.2 per cent). The six-footfive Raonic is fourth at 90.4 per cent.
On the other hand, Raonic is 70th in return games won, while Isner is 88th.
“I think we’re both quite aware of what the other guy wants to do,” the 27-year-old Raonic said after his straightsets triumph over 2016 U.S. Open champ Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland on Friday night.
“We’re both aware that opportunities are not going to be that often arising. It’s going to be important to be disciplined and to make sure you sort of are always getting there, giving yourself some kind of situations, that you’re disciplined and sharp with yourself when those situations arise.”
Raonic said he feels like he’s playing at his best level since late 2016. He’s coming off a run to the quarterfinals at an ATP Masters 1000 event in Cincinnati.
Raonic never has reached the quarterfinals at the U.S. Open, which he can do with one more win. He was eliminated in the round of 16 in three straight years from 2012-14.
Isner, meanwhile, is awaiting the birth of his first child. His wife, Madison, is expecting to have a baby this month. It’s possible he might have to leave the U.S. Open on short notice.
“I’m not going to miss the birth, but we’ll see,” said Isner, whose best U.S. Open showing was a run to the quarterfinals in 2011. “Again, I said before, can’t control that.”
Raonic is the lone Canadian left in the singles draw after Denis Shapovalov of Richmond Hill, Ont., lost in five sets to Kevin Anderson on Friday.
CRAZY SHOT FROM FEDERER
On Saturday at the U.S. Open, Roger Federer’s 51 winners included one jawdropping flick around the net post and he got through a tough early spot to get past Nick Kyrgios 6-4, 6-1, 7-5 and reach the fourth round in a 17th consecutive U.S. Open appearance.
The outcome might very well have been decided with Federer serving at 3-all, love40, less than 20 minutes in. He saved four break points in that game — and then never faced another.
In the 30th-seeded Kyrgios’ previous match, the chair umpire climbed down from his seat to have a chat with the Australian’s seeming lack of effort. There was no such visit during this match.
The No. 2-seeded Federer has won five of his record 20 Grand Slam titles at Flushing Meadows, but his most recent U.S. Open trophy arrived a decade ago.
He’ll face 55th-ranked
John Millman of Australia next. It’s the first time Millman has reached the fourth round at any major tournament.
On the women’s side, Wimbledon champion Angelique Kerber has been eliminated, leaving none of this year’s Grand Slam winners left in the U.S. Open.
No. 29 seed Dominika Cibulkova rallied Saturday to beat the fourth-seeded Kerber 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, leaving only one of the top-four seeds on the women’s side in the tournament after three rounds.
Top-ranked Simona Halep, the French Open champion, was eliminated in the first round. Australian Open champion Caroline Wozniacki, the No. 2 seed, fell in the second.
Only No. 3 seed and defending champion Sloane Stephens remains among the top-four seeds.