Roger Federer moved on from his early-round struggles in stunning style with a 6-2 6-2 6-1 demolition of Dan Evans in the US Open Third Round.
The Swiss, 38, was a long way off his best during his victories over Sumit Nagal and Damir Dzumhur. But he found form against the Brit and put on a masterclass for the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd.
It began in game four of the opening set, when Federer put massive pressure on Evans’ serve by earning three break points. The Brit saved all three, but it was definitely a warning sign.
Sure enough, two games later the 20-time Grand Slam Champion broke to establish a 4-2 lead. And the World No.58 offered no further resistance in the set as the Swiss wrapped it up 6-2 in just 29 minutes.
Sadly for British fans and neutrals, the match became even more one-sided from that point on. In the second set, Federer produced virtually flawless tennis. He hit 20 winners and made just three unforced errors as he won it even more quickly than the first.
Unsurprisingly, Evans looked increasingly lost against such a barrage of quality. He tried to compete and, remarkably, only made three unforced errors, but he simply could not cause any problems for the Swiss on a slow court that does not suit his style of play.
The fourth game of the second set summed up the match. The Brit served well and sent down three good serves. Unfortunately for him, all three came flying back past him as the World No.3 hit three consecutive winners: a precise forehand down the line, a floated backhand and a crisp forehand. He broke to love.
Federer applies the finishing touches
By the time the third set started, any hope of a contest had long since evaporated. Federer continued to play at his imperious best, while the Brit carried on trying – and failing – to compete.
Just 80 minutes after the first ball was struck, the five-time US Open champion clinched victory with a comfortable hold.
In the on-court interview, Brad Gilbert asked Federer if he did anything differently to the previous two rounds.
“Nothing,” the Swiss replied. “Sometimes you just have to trust your team-up, your warm-ups and everything you’ve done for so long. Sometimes it doesn’t work and sometimes it does.”
“Maybe also Danny wasn’t feeling quite (as energetic) today so that helped me a little bit. He played yesterday so that was maybe an advantage for me. I was able to take advantage and play really good tennis. I really enjoyed myself out here today.”
Federer’s next appearance at Flushing Meadows will be against either David Goffin or Pablo Carreno Busta. The Swiss told Gilbert he is expecting a tougher match than against Evans. From a neutral point of view, hopefully he is right, because this was a mauling.
