Roger Federer escapes upset against Gael Monfils at US Open
By Hayden Kane
Gael Monfils had the match won. The Frenchman had to think that he had his ticket punched to the semifinals of the 2014 US Open. Up 40-15 with the chance to break the great Roger Federer, he was just one point away.
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Fast forward to the end of this match, and Federer is the one advancing while Monfils is left with some free time to think about what could have been. Even if Federer was the one serving, it stings for a long time to have double match point in a Grand Slam and not close things out. Federer escaped that fourth set, winning it 7-5 in comeback fashion, then cruised in the final set to break Monfils’ heart and move on for another appearance in the semifinals.
We all heard that Federer never loses at night in the featured match at the US Open. That narrative was no joke.
When Federer delivered the ace to complete his escape in the fourth set, it brought the crowd to life, tilting things in the veteran’s direction. At that point Federer showed some more emotion than usual while Monfils showed his immaturity, with things rolling down hill in the final set after such tightly contested tennis in the first four sets.
Count this as another all-time great moment from Federer, a guy who continues to deliver and contend in grand slams even though he is considered an old man by tennis standards at this stage of his career.
Federer advances to face Marin Cilic in the semifinals. On the other side of the men’s draw it is Novak Djokovic taking on Kei Nishikori. Nothing can be taken for granted, of course, but tennis fans everywhere have visions of another Federer vs. Djokovic final bouncing in their heads. In order for that to be possible, though, Federer had to dig deep for this dramatic comeback on Thursday night.