New York: Five-time champion Roger Federer sat out a two-hour break for torrential rain to race into the US Open fourth round on Sunday on a stormy, humid New York day which saw David Ferrer crash to defeat.
Second-seeded Federer, the champion between 2004-2008, came back from a set down to defeat Spain’s Marcel Granollers 4-6, 6-1, 6-1, 6-1 by racing away with 20 of the last 24 games of the match which had been interrupted due to rain and the threat of lightning.
Federer, bidding to become the oldest Grand Slam champion in more than 40 years, clinched his 70th win at the tournament on the back of 57 winners and 13 aces.
But the 33-year-old had struggled in the first set where he slipped to 2-5 down against the world number 42 before he grasped welcome respite in the locker room to sit out the storm.
“It was a good match and I managed to turn it around as Marcel was on fire at the start,” said Federer.
“The break helped me and when I came back I played some great tennis. The conditions were windy and quick at the start but when we got back it was humid and that played in my favour.”
Federer will face Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut for a place in the quarter-finals.
Gilles Simon sent Spanish fourth seed Ferrer crashing to his earliest US Open defeat in five years with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-1, 6-3 win.
Czech sixth seed Tomas Berdych, a semi-finalist in 2012, beat Georgian-born Russian Teymuraz Gabashvili 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 and next plays Dominic Thiem of Austria, the youngest player in the top 50 at just 20.
Thiem, who turns 21 on Wednesday, reached his first Grand Slam last-16 with an impressive 6-4, 6-2, 6-3 win over left-handed serve-and-volleyer Feliciano Lopez of Spain who is 12 years his senior.
“It’s my first US Open. I love to play at night and everything went well tonight,” said Thiem.
Gael Monfils, the 20th seed, celebrated his 28th birthday a day early by sweeping past French Davis Cup teammate Richard Gasquet, the 12th seed, 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 despite his protests that the damp Louis Armstrong court was too treacherous to play on.
It was Monfils’ third win this year over his compatriot.
Monfils, who made the quarter-finals in 2010, will face Bulgarian seventh seed Grigor Dimitrov, who had never won a match in New York in three appearances before this year, who saw off Belgium’s David Goffin, 0-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-1.
Federer, meanwhile, will return to the Brisbane International next January to start his 2015 season and warm up for the year’s first grand slam at the Australian Open. The 33-year-old lost to local favourite Lleyton Hewitt in the final this year and will have another tilt at winning the Jan. 4-11 event at the Queensland Tennis Centre.
“The conditions are very similar to Melbourne so I think it’s an ideal preparation (for the Australian Open) ... It’s an important tournament on my calendar, a tournament I’m very happy to go back to and I was very excited to go there for the first time this year,” the 17-time grand slam champion said.
“When I sign up for a tournament it’s because I’m going to try to win it and I want to enjoy the week there.” Federer said.
