Rarely does Roger Federer find a crowd vociferously willing on an opponent noticeably more than him anywhere on tour these days. But three years ago, a dogged local underdog, John Millman, rode a wave of home support to have the Swiss great on the ropes under the lights in Brisbane.
Federer was admittedly rusty in his first outing of the new season that night and came up against an inspired wild card then ranked No. 153, an opponent who simply did not know what it meant to lie down. The Swiss ultimately prevailed from a set and a break down – by no means a novel feat for the 37-year-old – but for a late-blooming Millman, it instilled a belief he could match it with the No. 2 seed should they cross paths again.
After seeing off Kazakh Mikhail Kukushkin to reach the fourth round at a major for the first time in his career, Millman earned that chance. And the Australian made it clear he would not be overawed stepping into the enormous crowd-filled surrounds of Arthur Ashe for the first time on Monday, even knowing this time the support would likely be tilted firmly in his opponent’s favour.
“Definitely a player I've looked up to throughout my career,” Millman said of Federer. “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 thinking about those things… I want to start off at 0-all and not already being behind the eight-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.”
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At Flushing Meadows, Federer has not lost any of his 40 prior matches against players outside the Top 50 in the ATP Rankings. Millman currently sits at World No. 55.
The Swiss will be shooting for his 13th US Open quarter-final berth in his past 14 appearances. And after seeing off Millman’s countryman, the ever-dangerous Nick Kyrgios, without conceding a set in the third round, it sent an ominous warning.
A win for the five-time champion and a win for two-time champion Novak Djokovic on Monday would set a blockbuster quarter-final showdown. The Serbian No. 6 seed will carry a 4-0 FedEx ATP Head2Head series lead into his match with Portugal’s Joao Sousa.
As with Millman, Sousa is making his fourth-round debut in a Grand Slam. The first Portuguese player to progress as far at a major has enjoyed an impressive run, having taken down Top 20 seeds Lucas Pouille and Pablo Carreno Busta in the previous two rounds.
A rejuvenated Djokovic, however, is a step up. Despite dropping a set in each of his first two matches, the Serbian trounced former World No. 7 Richard Gasquet for the loss of just eight games on Saturday night.
It was the surest sign yet at this year’s US Open that the Djokovic of old was back. A fourth Wimbledon triumph last month and the career Golden Masters completed at the Western & Southern Open were added proof.
In a match that came within four minutes of being the latest finish to a US Open night session, Marin Cilic survived an almighty scare to bounce back against gutsy Aussie Alex De Minaur 4-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-5 as the clock struck 2.22am in the early hours of Sunday morning in New York. The 2014 champion booked a fourth-round clash with Belgian 10th seed David Goffin, an opponent he trails 2-3 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series.
The Croatian No.7 seed, a runner-up at the Australian Open this year, has won their past two encounters, however. For Goffin, it is the chance to become the first Belgian man to reach a US Open quarter-final. He has only dropped one set – to the in-form Robin Haase – so far this tournament.
Should Cilic prevail he would be on track for a rematch of the 2014 US Open final against Kei Nishikori. The Japanese player, through to his third straight fourth round at a Grand Slam this season, starts favourite against Alexander Zverev’s conqueror, Philipp Kohlschreiber, on Sunday.
Nishikori, the 21st seed, missed last year’s US Open due to a right wrist injury and was impressive in seeing off No. 13 seed Diego Schwartzman in the third round. He holds a 2-0 FedEx ATP Head2Head record over Kohlschreiber. The German’s stunning upset of No. 4 seed Zverev sent him through to the fourth round at Flushing Meadows for the fifth time in seven years.
from Tennis - ATP World Tour https://ift.tt/2Q0BRJ2
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