Roger Federer faced virtually no troubles until he was asked to hit a souvenir ball into the upper levels of Arthur Ashe Stadium after the match, a few minutes after closing a 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 victory over Yoshihito Nishioka at the US Open on Tuesday evening.
On the court, it was a crisply straightforward affair for the 20-time grand slam champion. He was not broken until very late in the third set and hit 56 winners to 32 unforced errors. The diminutive Japanese player, still making his way back from a serious knee injury, failed to convert his first eight break points and had more unforced errors (20) than winners (18).
Federer appeared far less affected by the blistering heat and humidity that stretched into the evening. On a day where six of 32 men’s matches ended with a retirement and Novak Djokovic struggled mightily with the conditions, the No. 2 seed seemed almost comfortable, though he admitted some US Open pressure.
“Thankfully I wasn’t too nervous tonight. I felt good. I felt like I had a good preparation week. No hiccups there. I think that settles my nerves there,” Federer said. “I love coming to play here. It’s been so many years now. So it’s great to have played also a good first round against an entertaining first-round opponent.”
The five-time champion in New York did his damage early. He broke Nishioka in the opening game, adding a second break later in the set. He jumped to a 4-0 lead in the second set, then hit a trademark backhand slice volley to set up a set point at 5-1.
Though he did not convert that attempt, he later finished the frame with another well-placed volley. He again won the first four games in the third set and earned a match point at 5-1, but then faltered for the only time in the match.
In concert, Nishioka raised his level, snapping groundstrokes across the court and breaking Federer to recoup one break. But the Swiss great had no trouble serving for the match a second time, slamming a big serve and tallying a service winner on his third match point.
Federer will play the unpredictable Benoit Paire on Thursday, which could possibly set up a third round clash with Nick Kyrgios. Tuesday marked step one on that run for Federer — and step one to winning his first US Open title in a decade.
“I put in a lot of effort. You have to bring it every single time,” he said. “I say you’re only as good as your next match. I try to live by that mantra a little bit. … I was able to break the beginning of each set, cruise after that. I was very happy.”
