Almost two years after losing the 2015 US Open final to Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer has scored another US Open win. Having to deal with the NextGen tennis star Frances Tiafoe in the inaugural round, Federer saw his bid in danger as the youngster pushed him into a five sets thriller.
Currently ranked third in the world, Federer emerged as the eventual winner of the encounter but his game was far from being a perfect one. A lot of unforced errors and some bad decisions throughout the rubber allowed Tiafoe to stay in that match longer than expected.
However, the much more experienced Federer found a way to sail pat his opponent and to secure himself a spot in the round of 64.
Frances Tiafoe was about to spoil Federer's comeback party in New York
Seeded third at 2017 US Open Tennis Championships, Roger Federer shares draw with Rafael Nadal and they are on a collision course for the semis. But, Federer's bid was on the verge of extinction late last night. Frances Tiafoe (70 ATP) forced Federer to live some dangerous scenario. Winning the opening, The 19-year-old seeded the doubt in his opponent's mind. But, the next two sets were all about Federer and his majestic display of tennis. Winning the second act by 6-2 and the third one by 6-1 put him in a winning position.
When things seemed to be done and dusted, the ATP rising star had another surge as he went on cruising past Federer in the fourth set. He won it by 6-1 prolonging the drama for another set. Taking the strings back into his hands, Federer raced to another comfortable lead and went on t serve out the match. But he failed to close out the encounter and Tiafoe had to serve to stay in the match at 5-4.
As expected, the lack of experience took a drastic tool as the young American choked on his own serve. Federer survived the scare and is settling in for the rounds to come.
Federer has time to adjust
The second round will bring up another low ranked opponent which is a good way to experiment some tactics and to start feeling the ball well.
The lack of matches is obvious as Federer was forced to skip Cincinnati due to a back injury. He might consider himself lucky as the draw doesn't seem to pose a serious threat until the fourth round where Nick Kyrgios may emerge. Going further, the quarterfinals may put Federer on the same battlefield with Dominic Thiem. Despite being a solid player during the clay court swing, the Austrian is yet to deliver on a hard court. And of course, the semis may oppose Federer and Nadal in what may be another chapter of the most notorious rivalry of men's tennis.
There are benefits being a top seed on a Grand Slam and Roger Federer is fully aware of them. Maybe he didn't want to push himself too hard against Tiafoe although it's hard to believe that he wanted a five setter in the inaugural match. The next round will offer a clearer glimpse into his level of fitness and commitment for this tournament.
