It was almost as if the greatest tennis player of all time was only just figuring out how to play the game.
Under the hot, humid and cavernous confines of the Arthur Ashe Stadium, Roger Federer appeared to be less of an opponent and more of a partner in John Millman’s performance, losing to him 3-6, 7-5, 7-6(7), 7-6(3) in the fourth round of the U.S Open.
Trap game
This was the typical trap game that has now become synonymous with Federer at the U.S Open. They begin in innocuous fashion, like a usual day at work for him: he bagged the first set in under 33 minutes, winning the first three games. The crowd had not even settled in their seats.
As ever, they were overwhelmingly in Federer’s corner, more eager to see him through to a quarterfinal showdown against Novak Djokovic. It was not a question of whether Millman would be defeated, but when and how. That moment came in the second when Federer served for the set up 5-4 and 40-15, when it all but seemed like the nail was hit on the coffin.
But the Aussie was just getting started. He rallied to even the score five all, ably assisted by Federer who missed a forehand and an easy volley and then hit his sixth double fault on break point. It was past 1 a.m. in Australia but Millman had finally announced himself to the world. Sure, he had not won the match yet, but he had not entered the second weekend of a Grand Slam tournament before today.
Most players not named Nadal, Djokovic or del Potro can seem overawed by Federer. But Millman’s speed, consistency and depth rattled the veteran, making him appear meek and error-prone. In front of the five-time US Open winning champion, Millman appeared fearless. And it takes a special brand of fearlessness to play two decisive tie-breakers against Federer and win them convincingly.
“Today he definitely was not at his best, but I’ll take it,” Millman said in his post-match interview.
Stark contrast
Federer’s game was in stark contrast to his flawless win over Nick Kyrgios, the other Australian who was seen as the real threat to his passage here. He was mightily bothered by the conditions and plagued by an unforeseen bout of service woes. His legs seemed as if they had been filled with lead, even as regular forehands turned to exasperating misses. His drop shot — one of the most important weapon in his arsenal — was failing him.
It would not be hyperbolic to say this match would go down as one of the poorest in his career: he racked up 76 unforced errors and 10 double faults, two of them coming in consecutive points in the fourth set tie-breaker.
Federer himself summed it up best in his post-match interview. “I was just happy that the match was over.”
Sharapova ousted
It was a ‘primetime night time’ of upsets as birthday girl Carla Suarez Navarro defeated Maria Sharapova in straight sets 6-4, 6-3 to set up a quarterfinal clash with Madison Keys.
Sharapova came in to this match with a 23-0 record Open night wins, but found it difficult to counter Suarez Navarro’s impeccable shot-making, the highlight of which were her one-handed backhand winners.