By Richard Pagliaro | Saturday, September 5, 2015
Roger Federer dropped serve for the first time, but beat Philipp Kohlschreiber to score his 75th career US Open win and set up a fourth-round clash with American No. 1 John Isner.
Photo credit: US Open/USTA
NEW YORK—A devoted father to two sets of twins, Roger Federer revealed he shed tears during a recent family outing to see the Broadway hit "Finding Neverland."
Draining drama from baseline rallies, Federer showed director's control transforming Arthur Ashe Stadium into No Man's Land for Philipp Kohlschreiber.
Covering the court fluidly, Federer slashed winners from all areas dismissing his frequent practice partner, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4, cruising into the US Open fourth round for the 15th consecutive year.
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It was Federer's 75th career US Open victory. Though he dropped serve twice—the first time Federer has surrendered serve since Wimbledon—the five-time US Open champion played crisply-constructed points. Federer will face big-serving American No. 1 John Isner on Labor Day for a quarterfinal spot.
"Clearly it's a tough match; John's gotten me good in Davis Cup in the past," Federer told ESPN's Pam Shriver afterward. "We all know about his unbelievable serving. I'm looking forward to playing against him. He's a good guy. We always joke a lot in the locker room. Clearly, he's one of best servers we have have."
New Yorkers appreciate Federer's creativity; he enjoys absorbing the city's culture.
The 17-time Grand Slam champion brings a dancer's grace to the blue hard court and brought wife Mirka to the Broadway musical "Hamilton" last night thrilling theater goers by turning up wearing a Nike warm-up jacket, sitting in producer's seats near the stage and having a drink during intermission just like other audience members and enjoying a night out in the city, leaving the theater shortly after 11 p.m.
Unlike some players who retreat to the confines of their hotel room to escape the pressures of Grand Slam tournament play, Federer immerses himself in the arts finding inspiration as well as neverland.
Whether he's serving as athlete or audience member, Federer loves a quality performance.
Aggressive court positioning, ambitious shot-making and the fact he relishes performing on the big stage are three reasons why Federer thrives on the Flushing Meadows stage. All three factors helped him dominate the 31-year-old German winning all nine of their previous encounters. He takes the ball on the rise, rips heavier shots and can push the 5-foot-10 Kohlschreiber back in the shadowlands near the blue back wall or probe the frontcourt with short slices and angled volleys.
Yet Kohlschreiber can be a tricky opponent. He nearly knocked Federer out on the grass in Halle last June, before bowing 7-6 (8), 3-6, 7-6 (5), and he owns Grand Slam wins over current American No. 1 John Isner and former U.S. No. 1 Andy Roddick.
This match followed a familiar plot line as Federer called the shots, winning 17 of 23 trips to net.
A thumping serve down the middle gave Federer double set point. The Swiss elevated above the court snapping off an angled smash and landing with a one-set lead after 26 minutes.
Through his first seven sets of tournament play, Federer had permitted just 12 games.
The challenge Kohlschreiber faced trying to break a winless streak against the world No. 2 was exacerbated by the fact he was sometimes blinking up at the sky as if distracted by the steel beams hanging over the stadium. The distracted German sprayed a shot dropping serve for 1-2 in the second set.
Federer gave his friend a helping hand playing his sloppiest service game to drop serve at love. Kohlschreiber probably didn't know it, but it was a ground-breaking moment. It was the first time Federer was broken in eight matches of his North American hard-court summer season. Kohlschreiber couldn't stand the prosperity, he coughed up serve again—the third straight break—as Federer seized a 3-2 lead.
At 34, Federer is the oldest man to earn the second seed in New York since Hall of Famer Ken Rosewall back in 1972. Though he played a couple of sloppy service games today, Federer was effective in two key areas: He moved beautifully and served accurately in crucial stages.
Limited reach and a drastic grip change hinder Kohlschreiber's return game a bit. Federer can kick the serve wide on the ad side to open the court or slide his slice serve down the middle as he did powering to a two-set lead.
Serving at 2-3, 15-30, Federer tested his opponent with a lob. Kohlschreiber answered with a slick high backhand volley only to see Federer swoop forward lean low for a brilliant backhand stab volley winner. That improvised angled dig brought Federer to 30-all rather than double break point as he earned a demanding hold for 3-all.
New Yorkers are not often easily impressed, but Federer's creativity and longevity make him a star in the cynical city. Since losing to Juan Carlos Ferrero in the 2000 US Open third round, Federer has reached at least the round of 16 for 15 years in a row as his practice sessions draw bigger crowds than some outer court matches.
When he sits for post-match interviews in the ESPN studio outside Arthur Ashe Stadium fans flood the surrounding plaza, some teetering on the edge of the fountains, snapping photos. RF baseball caps bobbing around the city streets are as prevalent as Mets or Yankees caps this time of year and at the Nike booth outside Ashe Stadium you see fans lining up just to take selfies with a photo of Federer.
Perhaps the pace of this Flushing Meadows hard court, calmer conditions from the steel and shade structure above Ashe stadium and the fervent support of the faithful make New York the best location for another Grand Slam star turn.
Though he hasn't reached the Flushing Meadows final since 2009, Federer played like a man going places today.
One place he has no plans to visit versus Isner is No Man's Land: Federer said he won't pull out the hard-charging SABR play on return.
"I don't think so. I can always try," Federer told ESPN's Pam Shriver afterward. "But probably not the right guy to do it against, I think."