Nadal, Federer struggle as teenagers roll
NEW YORK: Former champions Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal battled into the US Open last 32 on Thursday while the women’s draw lost the fifth seed from its top eight. Federer recorded his 80th career win in New York but he needed five sets for the second successive match before claiming a 6-1, 6-7 (3/7), 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 triumph over Mikhail Youzhny.
It was his 17th win in 17th meetings with the grizzled Russian, who, at 35, is his junior by just one year. World number one Nadal, meanwhile, saw off Japan’s world 121 Taro Daniel 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 after being blown off court in the first set. Federer next faces another 35-year-old, Feliciano Lopez of Spain, for a place in the last 16. His record against Lopez is just as solid -- 12-0.
Youzhny admitted he had cramped, which meant he could move left to right but not forward and back. “That was hard to watch,” said Federer. “But this was probably the best match we have played against each other.”
Top seed Nadal, the 2010 and 2013 champion, was rocked by New York-born Daniel in the first set. But Daniel, who has never beaten a top-10 player, paid the price for his all-out assault as Nadal prevailed to book a third round date with Argentine lucky
loser Leonardo Mayer.
“All the matches are difficult but especially here as everyone wants to play their best and if you don’t play your best it will be very difficult,” said Nadal, who recovered from a set and break down. He saw room for improvement after converting six of 11 break points. Andrey Rublev became the second teenager to make the third round when he stunned Bulgarian seventh seed Grigor Dimitrov 7-5, 7-6 (7/3), 6-3. Rublev, just 19 and the world number 53, joins Denis Shapovalov of
Canada in the last 32 at a Grand Slam event for the first time.
However, 19-year-old Taylor Fritz of the United States was unable to join Rublev and Shapovalov in the next round when he lost 6-4, 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 to Austrian sixth seed Dominic Thiem.
Also going through to the last 32 was 2009 champion Juan Martín Del Potro who saw off Spanish qualifier Adrian Menendez-Maceiras 6-2, 6-3, 7-6 (7/3).