The 100 Meter Dash into the 4th round.
Fellow tennis fans: pop quiz! Who ranks among the fastest players on tour? The obvious answer of course is none other than Roger Federer. And today was no exception for his third round match against Philip Kohlschreiber. Unlike some of the marathon matches that have unfolded in this sweltering New York summer heat, this match barely lasted over an hour and an half, which is about 30 minutes per set. (To compare, the average duration of a set is roughly 45 minutes depending on number of deuce points). Federer secured his place in the 2nd week with a 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 straight sets win.
The very first point of the match Federer decided to double fault, which is uncharacteristic for the Grand Slam record holder. This trend would plague him throughout the match. Indeed, under the shifting shadows of the new roof on Arthur Ashe stadium, Federer struggled to find his peak form today, especially at net. The German veteran, who came out steady and consistent as he always does, was still unable to get the upset. The reason? Even 2nd rate Federer’s game is superior to virtually the rest of the tour. This was quickly demonstrated as Fed broke on Kohlschreiber’s first service game to go up 2-0. As if to keep pace with Roger at least in one aspect, the lower ranked veteran played fast as well. With a couple well timed drop shots, he was able to get on board at 3-1 and threaten a break back. Federer denied it by saving 2 break point chances to hold. Perhaps discouraged, Philip then did a complete 180 from coming in to net where he had been successful by retreating far behind the baseline, even on Fed’s 2nd serve. This of course proved to be deadly, and Federer served the set out 6-3. If the German, who plays a one hand backhand like the Swiss, continued to be aggressive by coming to net, the set may have been his favor as it became clear to those watching that Roger’s footwork was letting him down today.
Despite his subpar footwork, Federer again rushed to a lead in the 2nd set to go up 2-1. Then he gifts the break right back at love with a wild forehand! Not to worry, however. A gift exchange ensued as the 29 ranked opponent mailed the gift back over the net to Roger. Back on serve. One element that separates Federer’s game from the majority of the field is his ability to maintain variety on his serves. He proceeded to demonstrate this in the 6th game. Philip chose to respond by taking chances on his returns. A good strategy, but unfortunately he was unable to execute. For his part, Federer continued to be sluggish with his footwork, which the German was quick to recognize and capitalize on. Unlike the first easy going set, the crowd began to chant “Let’s go Roger” as fear crept in the minds of those who tuned in to watch. Roger seemed to heed the encouragement, and despite being down 0-30 in the 8th game, he tees off 4 very fast points to hold for 5-3. Here he took a quick pit stop to switch frames. It is a widely discussed topic that Roger have customized set ups for serving vs. returning. He then eased the minds of the author by taking the set 6-4, although it was closer than the score indicated.
With a 2-set lead, one can finally witness Federer hit a couple jumping forehands, which indicated an improvement in his footwork. However, Kohlschreiber seemed to remember his successful tactic from the beginning of the match by coming back to net and playing good angles to throw Federer off balance once more. In fact, by winning a challenged call, he broke first against Federer in the 3rd set for 2-0. The Swiss was not pleased by this turn of events, and for the first time in this match played extra aggressive on the return, and followed it to the net to earn break points. He quickly converted on the first one to bring it back on serve. More good signs from the former Open champ when he attempted a tweener in the 5th game; he was finally more relaxed. The set was level at 4-4. Still not playing his best, Federer willed himself to stay aggressive nevertheless, and it pays off as both came to net in the next game at 30-40 and Kohlschreiber dumped a volley into the net to give Federer the lead at 5-4. For his service game, Federer chose to go for 2 big serves, which brought him 2 points away from the next round. As if in desperation, the German decided to forgo his reputation of playing slow and steady by going for extra risky returns, but the last minute tactic does not suit his playing style. The fan favorite is through to the next round, where he will need to find better form against the monster serving John Isner.
