Australia's John Millman has upset Roger Federer, eliminating the five-time US Open champion in the round of 16. Millman now moves on to face Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals.
Image: picture-alliance/C. Dubreuil
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John Millman surprised everybody, including himself by battling past Roger Federer 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (9/7), 7-6 (7/3) at Flushing Meadows on Monday evening, to send the world No. 2 crashing out of the US Open in the round of 16.
The 55th-ranked Australian had never before beaten a top-10 player and never before had Federer lost to a player ranked below the top-50.It was also Federer's earliest US Open exit since he fell in straight sets to Tommy Robredo in the fourth round in 2013.
"I'm probably in a little bit of disbelief," Millman, 29, said in the on-court interview after three hours and 35 minutes in the cauldron of Arthur Ashe Stadium.
"I have so much respect for Roger and everything he's done for the game. He's been a hero of mine."
The 37-year-old Swiss committed a shocking 77 unforced errors and 10 double faults, including two in the final tie-break. After the match, he admitted that the heat had gotten to him on the night.
"I just thought it was very hot tonight," Federer said. "It was just one of those nights where I guess I felt I couldn't get air…for some reason I just struggled in the conditions tonight."
"Today he was definitely not at his best," Millman conceded. "But I'll take it."
Last German eliminated
Earlier, the last remaining German player in the tournament was eliminated as Japan's Kei Nishikori, who reached the final at Flushing Meadows in 2014, made short work of Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-3, 6-2, 7-5.
Kohlschreiber went down in straight setsImage: picture-alliance/AP Photo/K. Hagen
With temperatures in New York causing problems for the players, the match time of just over two hours could prove beneficial to Nishikori in the latter stages. He will now face Marin Cilic of Croatia in the last eight.
Though he got past highly-regarded compatriot Alexander Zverev in the last round, each of the 34-year-old Kohlschreiber's victories at this year's tournament have been over four sets and the physical exertion seemed to take its toll on him.
Nishikori received an early gift when Kohlschreiber double faulted and then made an unforced error in his first service game to hand his opponent the earlist possible break. Nishikori never looked back, wrapping up the opener in a shade over half an ho second set followed a similar pattern with the German, who looked increasingly agitated by the heat, giving up his serve again in the opener and making a string of errors under little pressure.
Nishikori was a little less ruthless come set three, missing a simple volley to break his opponent early on. Although Kohlschreiber showed a few more signs of resistance, Nishikori took his next chance to break and, after missing his first chance to seal the match on serve, broke his opponent again before sealing the win.
Elsewhere, Novak Djokovic eased past Joao Sousa of Portugal 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 – the No. 6-ranked Serbian will be Millman's opponent in the quarterfinals.
US Open: The big one in the Big Apple
"If I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere," as Frank Sinatra once put it. This statement could just as easily be applied to the loudest, most demanding tennis tournament in the world, the US Open.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/J. Samad
The sky is the limit
Nowak Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka battled it out on in the men's final on Center Court in 2016. This photo gives you a rough impression of the view you would have had if you had managed to get yourself a ticket for a seat in the nosebleeds. Wawrinka would go on to win this duel.
Image: Getty Images/A. Bello
Arthur Ashe
Arthur Ashe used a wooden racket when he played in the Forest Hills stadium in Queens, New York in 1965. In 1978, the tournament moved to its larger site at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows. The main court, which holds more than 22,000 spectators, is named after Athur Ashe.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo
Pete could do with a bucket...
The matches can be long and the weather is usually hot and humid. This can take a toll on the players. In 1996, a few minutes after this picture was shot, the great Pete Sampras actually threw up on the court during his match against Alex Corretja. We could have shown you that, but you didn’t really want to see it, did you?
Image: Getty Images/S. Botterill
Quiet please!
If you are looking for a quiet game of tennis, the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center is not the place for you! It happens to be located close to LaGuardia Airport. If you don’t like the noise you can complain, but making yourself heard could pose a problem...
Image: imago/UPI Photo
When Serena was still a bad girl
"Foot fault," cried the woman on the chair during this 2009 match. Serena Williams was having nothing of it and did her best to make this clear. The line judge jumped out of her chair and…
Image: Getty Images/J. Finney
"I didn't say that!"
…ran to the net and told the match referee, who called the head referee. He ordered Williams’ semifinal match against Kim Clijsters abandoned and awarded it to the Belgian. It was widely reported that Williams had threatened to shove a tennis ball down the line judge’s throat, something that the American denied having said.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/T.A. Clary
Cramp-plagued Marcos Baghdatis
IN 2006, Marcos Baghdatis struggled through a his match against Andre Agassi. Plagued by cramps, he struggled to complete its. Baghdatis is still on the tour, Agassi, of course, retired years ago.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/D. Emmert
Andre's second-last match
The match, in which Baghdatis wound up unable to run around the court was the second last in the career of Andre Agassi in New York. The crowd gave both men a standing ovation after Agassi won 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 5-7, 7-5. In his 2010 autobiography "Open," Agassi described his pain both on and off the tennis court.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/D. Emmert
Stefanie Graf's backhand
Stefanie Graf rarely made mistakes with her backhand but her forehand was even better. In 1988 she faced Argentina’s Gabriela Sabatini in the US Open final and won 6-3, 3-6, and 6-1. Sabatini went on to have her own line of perfume, but Graf became a legend, helping, along with Boris Becker, to spark a tennis boom in Germany.
Image: Getty Images
A happy Angie Kerber
It would take until 2016 for another German to win at Flushing Meadows. This photo is from September 11, 2016, a day after Angelique Kerber had beaten Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic in the final. Since then, things haven't gone her way. Kerber lost her No. 1 spot in the women's rankings - despite the absence of Serena Williams.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Cj Gunther
Can't forget Jimmy
How could we forget this guy? He was in his prime when US men’s tennis was still powerful and nobody had heard of John McEnroe yet. Jimmy Connors, in this picture no longer using his old metal racket, won the US Open five times. His two-handed backhanders changed the men’s game.
Image: Getty Images/V
Boris won here too...
Here’s another guy we can’t forget. This is Boris Becker after beating Ivan Lendl 7-6, 1-6, 6-3, 7-6 in the 1989 final. The often ill-tempered Lendl went on to become a cool golfer and even cooler coach. Becker is still his happy-go-lucky self. Last year he was appointed the "head of men’s tennis" by the German Tennis Association (DTB).
Image: Imago/Norbert Schmidt
Legendary support
Alexander Zverev (above left) is still looking for his first Grand Slam and he has enlisted former Grand Slam winner Ivan Lendl (right) to help him refine his game. The men's No. 4 failed to make it past the second round in his two previous appearances at the US Open. The 21-year-old German is hoping that Lendl's tactical knowledge will help carry him much deeper in 2018.
