New York: Five-time champion Roger Federer crashed out of the US Open on Monday, beaten in four sets by 55th-ranked Australian John Millman. Millman’s 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (9/7), 7-6 (7/3) victory in his first Grand Slam fourth round match scuppered a blockbuster quarter-final between Federer and two-time winner Novak Djokovic.
It marked Federer’s earliest US Open exit since he fell in straight sets to Tommy Robredo in the fourth round in 2013. Federer had set points in both the second and third sets, but troubles with his serve infected his entire game and 77 unforced errors doomed the 20-time Grand Slam champion in the face of a determined attack from Millman.
“I’m probably in a little bit of disbelief,” Millman, 29, said after three hours and 35 minutes in the cauldron of Arthur Ashe Stadium. “I have so much respect for Roger and everything he’s done for the game. He’s been a hero of mine.” Federer took the opening set courtesy of a break in Millman’s first service game. But Federer’s first service game in the second — in which he battled 14 minutes and saved six break points — proved prophetic.
Federer broke first on the way to a 5-3 lead in the set, but Millman won the last four games, breaking Federer twice. Federer wasted two set points in the 10th game, giving Millman a break chance when he missed an easy volley then double-faulting on break point. Federer upped his game in a tight third set and had the first chance to claim the set at 6-5 in the tiebreaker. He netted a service return, and Millman converted his second set point to seize two sets to one lead.
When the Swiss great broke for a 4-2 lead in the fourth the Ashe crowd were on their feet. But he gave the break back in the next game after slamming an overhead into the bottom of the net on game point. They went on serve the rest of the way to the tiebreaker, where two of Federer’s 10 double faults, followed by a backhand into the net and a wayward forehand gave Millman a 6-1 lead.
Federer clawed his way through two match points before slapping yet another forehand wide as Millman celebrated. “Today he was definitely not at his best,” Millman said of Federer. “But I’ll take it.”
Maria Sharapova was knocked out of the US Open in the fourth round after losing 6-4, 6-3 to Spanish birthday girl Carla Suarez Navarro who inflicted the Russian’s first ever night-time loss at the tournament.
Sharapova, the 2006 champion who was trying to reach the quarter-finals for the first time since 2012, hit 38 unforced errors and dropped serve six times. The defeat ended the former world number one’s perfect record of 23 wins — 22 of them on Arthur Ashe Stadium — in night sessions at Flushing Meadows.
Suarez Navarro, who celebrated her 30th birthday Monday, was a quarter-finalist in New York in 2013. “Maria has played here at night many times so I knew I needed to be aggressive, focused and play solid,” said the 30th seeded Spaniard after clinching a second win in six meetings with Sharapova.
“I told myself to run and fight — that’s the way I can play really good tennis.” She will face 2017 runner-up Madison Keys for a place in the semi-finals. “Madison is from the United States so I guess all the crowd will be for her. I have played her a few times. She has a great serve and plenty of experience on this court.”
Japan’s Naomi Osaka reached her first Grand Slam quarter-final, tearfully admitting she was prepared to “break a leg” to win the match. The 20-year-old became the first Japanese woman in the US Open last-eight since Shinobu Asagoe in 2004.
Osaka seeded 20, came back from a break down in the final set to take the tie on a fourth match point when Sabalenka served up an eighth double fault. “I would never have forgiven myself if I had lost that match,” said a tearful Osaka. “When I was a break down in the final set I thought I would even break a leg if needed so I could get to every ball.”