Roger Federer bounced back to his regular form with a straight sets win over Dan Evans, but also cursed in his press conference about influencing tournament scheduling. Serena Williams was back on track as well, winning her match over KarolĆna MuchovĆ”, in straight sets, 6-3, 6-2.
If there were questions about Roger Federerās and Serena Williamsās first two matches, the two legends answered them with resilient straight sets wins over their opponents. Federer just turned 38 earlier this month and had no problems dispatching his 29-year-old competitor, Dan Evans, in three sets, 6-2, 6-2, 6-1.
The Swiss took full advantage of the exhausted British player, who had just finished up his second-round match just shy of 18 hours prior due to the rain delays. Evans was understandably perturbed by the circumstances, especially having to turn around quickly and face a superior Federer.
Controversy stemmed from whether the five-time US Open champ had requested an earlier start time, whereas Evans had asked to play in the evening to allow for maximum recovery from the previous dayās match.
"āYou think a guy who has my ranking has any say in that?ā was Evansā response when asked about it by reporters.āThere is probably about four people in this tournament who has a say when they play,ā Evans said. āMaybe three.ā"
But he added later, āObviously the tournament would rather Roger going through that match than me, so itās understandable,ā according to the New York Post.
Evans and Federer practiced together prior to meeting in the third round, and the criticism didnāt sit well with Federer, who uncharacteristically cursed when asked about it in his press conference. The Swiss player had concluded his second-round match under the protective roof of Arthur Ashe.
"āBut that doesnāt mean, like, āRoger asks, Roger gets.ā Just remember that, because I have heard this sh*t too often now,ā Federer said, clearly irritated. āIām sick and tired of it, that apparently, I call the shots; the tournament and the TV stations do. We can give our opinion. Thatās what we do. But Iām still going to walk out (on court), even if they schedule me at 4 in the morning.āBut thatās tennis. Itās entertainment, and the show must go on. Iāve lost maybe matches this way. Iāve won some this time. Luck was on my side. There you have it. So, yeah, I understand if Danny is, like, a little bit frustrated.ā"
This isnāt the first time that scheduling favoritism has been lobbed against the 20-time slam champion, most notably at the Australian Open, mentioned by French player Julian Benneteau. Federer retains close ties with the AO event thanks to the tournament director, Craig Tiley, and his support for Federerās brainchild, the Laver Cup.
However, much of this is a ridiculous notion, in all honesty. Federer hasnāt always been graced with his first choice in Melbourne. At this yearās AO tournament, Novak Djokovic got the Rod Laver slot over Federer in notable matches. The Swiss player also didnāt ask for a cancellation of his match against Nadal during blistering wind conditions that forced tournament officials to cut Djokovicās match that same day at this yearās French Open. After playing that same match against Djokovic, FO finalist Dominic Thiem was an exhausted mess in the final against Nadal when tournament officials wouldnāt reschedule the final, which would have provided fairer conditions for the Austrian. The accusations seem to be only thrown at Federer, which seems inaccurate at best.
Even Djokovic thinks the complaining is much ado about nothing.
Itās all a moot point, however: the outcome would have been the same regardless. Roger Federer won the match because he upped his game and put on a spellbinding performance, which even Evans conceded.
āI guess he has every shot,ā Evans said, āso itās not ideal to have an opponent that has every shot.ā
The dominant serve was back where it needed to be. The shot placement was stunning, including a particularly backwards volley that always enthralls the crowd. Federer packed the match with a variety of stunners, but most importantly, lessened the unforced errors that had stalled his first two matches. Overall, the magic was back, and the 38-year-old will be heading into his fourth round against a familiar opponent, David Goffin, with a ton of confidence.
https://twitter.com/kah22jad/status/1167108106507231232
In a day of GOATS, Serena Williams ā who turns the same age as Federer, 38, next month ā had no problem with her opponent either. Although her serve wasnāt at peak performance, the 23-time slam champion had so many incredible shots that cinched the win regardless, like this outrageously fast reaction:
Serena will face a Top 30 player next, No. 22 Petra MartiÄ, who took out No. 12 Anastasija Sevastova, also on Friday.
Roger Federer is gunning for a sixth US Open title, Serena for her seventh. They are the only two players who own 20+ grand slam titles. If Fed gets to 21, it will close out an amazing grand slam season with a captivating storybook ending. If Serena gets the elusive 24th, she will equal Margaret Courtās overall tally. She already owns the Open Era record. Both are into the second week of the slam.
Stay tuned here for all your US Open and tennis action. For my predictions for the final slam of the year, listen to Just End the Suffering podcast here. Round three concludes on Saturday. The Round of 16 starts the second week, beginning on Sunday, all viewable on ESPN.