U.S. OPEN Federer upset in 4th round by No. 55 Millman
NEW YORK — Roger Federer served poorly. Closed poorly, too. And now he’s gone, beaten at the U.S. Open by an opponent ranked outside the top 50 for the first time in his career.
Looking slow and tired on a sweltering night in Arthur Ashe Stadium, Federer doublefaulted 10 times, failed to convert three set points and lost 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (7), 7-6 (3) in the fourth round to John Millman in a match that began Monday and concluded at nearly 1 a.m. EDT Tuesday.
It’s only the second time in Federer’s past 14 appearances at the U.S. Open that he has lost before the quarterfinals. He is, after all, a five-time champion at the tournament, part of his men’s-record haul of 20 Grand Slam titles.
“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,” Millman said, “but, you know, I’ll take it.”
So much for that much-anticipated matchup between Federer and 13-time major champion Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals. Instead, it’ll be Millman, the 55th-ranked player who had not made it past the third round at a Slam until last week, taking on Djokovic, the sixth seed.
Millman was adamant he would not be intimidated by Federer, and perhaps was helped by having spent time practicing together a few months ago ahead of the grasscourt portion of this season.
Still, this was a stunner. Not simply because Federer lost — he entered the day 28-0 at the U.S. Open, and 127-1 in all Grand Slam matches, against foes below No. 50 in the ATP rankings — but how he lost. Start with this: Federer held two set points while serving for the second at 5-4, 40-15 and did not deliver; he had a set point in the third at 6-5 in the tiebreaker, but again was stymied.
Much earlier, Djokovic left the court for a medical timeout — the second time during the tournament he has sought help from a doctor because of harsh weather — during what would become an otherwise straightforward 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 victory over 68th-ranked Joao Sousa of Portugal.
“I’m not 21 anymore. That was 10 years ago. I still don’t feel old. But at the same time, there is a little biological clock that is not really working in your favor,” Djokovic told the crowd afterward. “Sometimes, you just have to survive.”
The other quarterfinal on the bottom half of the men’s draw will be a rematch of the 2014 U.S. Open final: No. 7 Marin Cilic against No. 21 Kei Nishikori.
Cilic, who beat Nishikori four years ago for his only major title, was a 7-6 (6), 6-2, 6-4 winner over No. 10 David Goffin. Nishikori advanced by defeating Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-3, 6-2, 7-5.
On the women’s side, fivetime Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova lost a U.S. Open night match for the first time in her career, beaten by No. 30 seed Carla Suarez Navarro 6-4, 6-3 in the fourth round. Sharapova made nearly twice as many unforced errors as Suarez Navarro, including eight double-faults.
On Wednesday, Suarez Navarro and her smooth onehanded backhand will take on 2017 runner-up Madison Keys, who advanced by beating No. 29 Dominika Cibulkova 6-1, 6-3.
No. 20 Naomi Osaka eliminated No. 26 Aryna Sabalenka 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 in a matchup between two powerful players seeking a first Grand Slam quarterfinal appearance.
Osaka will play Lesia Tsurenko, who struggled with the heat before reaching her first Grand Slam quarterfinal, outlasting teenager Marketa Vondrousova 6-7 (3), 7-5, 6-2 after feeling ill earlier in the match.