Federer Beats Kyrgios in Straight Sets to Reach his 17th Round of 16 at US Open
(September 1, 2018) FLUSHING MEADOWS, NY – Roger Federer hit one of the shots of the tournament in his straight sets win over 30th seed Nick Kyrgios on Saturday. The 37-year-old hit a winner around the post against the Australian at 3-all, love-40, in the first set.
Shot of the tournament?
Shot of the YEAR. ??️: @usopen pic.twitter.com/PLmIrKG2R0
— ATP World Tour (@ATPWorldTour) September 1, 2018
“I was trying to tell him that the shot wasn’t that good,” said Kyrgios. “No, it was almost unreal. Almost got to the point where I wanted him to start making shots like that, and I finally got it. I was pretty happy with myself.”
What did Federer think of the shot?
“It was definitely one of the more unique ones. Like I explained on court, you don’t get an opportunity to hit around the net post very often, because in practice, you — I mean, you can’t really train them. The net is out further and the court is more narrow, so for a shot like this to happen in a practice, you will be running into a fence and you will hit it into the net.”
“I think we’re two very different characters,” said Kyrgios. “I think, you know, just the way he goes about things. I could take a leaf out of his book. The way he behaves on court, you know, his demeanor, I could definitely take away. I don’t want to change myself too much, but I could definitely take away things he does in certain situations. He’s the ultimate role model to anyone who wants to play.”
It’s his 17th straight fourth round he’s reached at the US Open. Federer has won this title five times, the last one coming 10 years ago.
Federer will play another Australian in the round of 16, No. 55 John Millmann.
Millman reached his first-ever major fourth round by defeating Mikhail Kukushkin 6-4, 4-6, 6-1, 6-3.“It’s a great feeling. I’m extremely excited. It was a goal of mine to make, you know, second week of a Grand Slam. I have managed to do so,” said the Australian.
“If I play against Roger, you know, I think he’s the best that’s played the game, in my opinion. I’ve got a lot of respect for Roger. I’ve got a lot of respect for his team. Have a really good respect for Seve, or I should say Severin Luthi.
“I did a little bit of training with them after the French Open. Hit a little bit on the grass. He’s got an aura about him. Definitely a player I’ve looked up to throughout my career. But it’s like anything. I have never been a fan of playing anyone’s reputation. When you go out on court, I think it’s about engaging in a battle. I definitely won’t be, you know, thinking about those things if I play against him.
“I want to start off at 0-All and not already being behind the 8 Ball and playing someone’s reputation. If you do that, I think you can get bogged down and you’re in a bit of trouble.”
More to follow…
