The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Federer wins: I don’t call the shots
NEW YORK — There was no slow start to this U.S. Open outing for Roger Federer, who bristled at the suggestion that he might have played a role in some favorable scheduling.
After dropping the opening set in each of his initial two matches for the first time in 19 appearances at Flushing Meadows, the No. 3seeded Federer was back at his absolute best Friday in a 62, 62, 61 victory over Dan Evans, accumulating a 487 edge in winners as the opening act in the Arthur Ashe Stadium day session that began at noon.
Evans acknowledged 20time major champion Federer’s superiority. How couldn’t he?
But the 58thranked player from Britain also thought the timing was “a bit disappointing,” because his rainpostponed secondround match was played Thursday, whereas Federer got to play Wednesday under the Ashe roof.
Being first up on Friday’s program meant Evans had to be back on court about 18 hours after he’d left the tournament grounds.
“It was always going to be a competitive advantage for me. … Luck was on my side,” Federer said, although he did add that his team was asked about whether it had a preference for when to play.
“But that doesn’t mean, like, ‘Roger asks, Roger gets.’ Just remember that, because I have heard this (stuff ) too often now,” he said, with a more colorful word choice. “I’m sick and tired of it, that apparently I call the shots; the tournament and the TV stations do. We can give our opinion. That’s what we do. But I’m still going to walk out (on court), even if they schedule me at 4 in the morning.”
Tournament spokesman Chris Widmaier would not discuss specifics of conversations between tournament officials and representatives of any player.
“That was the schedule we put forth, and we’re comfortable with the decision,” Widmaier said.
When a reporter asked Evans whether he made any requests about a later start time, he replied: “You think a guy who has my ranking has any say in that?”
Federer went from making 17 unforced errors in the first set of his previous match to finishing with 19 for the entire match against Evans.
“You almost tend to forget what happened,” Federer said, “and you move forward.”
That’s exactly what Serena Williams did, too.
She lost the opening set of her secondround match against 17yearold Caty McNally before coming back to win, then was much better in a convincing 63, 62 victory over Wimbledon quarterfinalist Karolina Muchova.
She’ll face No. 22 Petra Martic on Sunday for a spot in the quarterfinals.
Other women’s winners Friday included No. 2 Ash Barty, No. 3 Karolina Pliskova, No. 5 Elina Svitolina, No. 10 Madison Keys and No. 16 Johanna Konta. Keys, the 2017 runnerup in New York, had her blood pressure and pulse checked during a secondset medical visit but held on to beat No. 20 Sofia Kenin 63, 75 in an allAmerican matchup.
Men who advanced included 2016 champion Stan Wawrinka; Alex de Minaur, who knocked off 2014 runnerup Kei Nishikori; and Dominik Koepfer, a German ranked 118th who defeated No. 17 Nikoloz Basilashvili 63, 76 (5), 46, 61 to become only the second qualifier in the last decade to reach the men’s fourth round at the U.S. Open