2017 Us Open Tennis Championships has acquired a complete quarterfinals' picture as all the fourth round matches are done and dusted. With every round that passes by, Roger Federer seems to get rid off that rust that prevented him from playing at his best in the early stages. In the last rubber of yesterday's session, he delivered some exquisite tennis, crushing Philipp Kohlschreiber (37 ATP) in straight sets. His latest match is by far the best of this tournament for the five-time former champion. He is now in the same battle pit with Juan Martin del Potro who made quite a comeback to edge Dominic Thiem in five sets.
For Federer, now that things are working at a decent pace, the timing couldn't be better as Nadal looms for the next round.
Federer keeps a perfect record against Kohlschreiber
Entering the encounter, Roger Federer was leading the German by a slide margin having a perfect 11-0 in head to head stats. As it turned out, Federer didn't make the same mistakes as he did in the previous rounds. Getting his head in front fast was instrumental in his success. A single break in the opening set ensured Federer a comfortable one set lead. Strong and accurate from behind his serve, he cruised past the German in the second act sealing it by 6-2. The third part of the match saw both players playing solidly from the baseline.
At 5-5, Kohlschreiber had a poor game and was broken. Next, Federer served out the match to book a spot in the quarterfinals where Juan Martin del Potro awaits.
Although Federer is leading in head to head by 16-5, del Potro has some great memories from their past common history in New York. Eight years ago, Federer went lost a dramatic final against the Argentine in the 2009 US Open's closing episode.
Del Potro survived Dominic Thiem but he may have no gas left in the tank
Recovering from a two sets deficit, Juan Martin del Potro delivered something special to the Grandstand Arena. But, as he mentioned during the post-match interview, he may have some issues to recover from as the physical side of that match with Thiem took a huge toll.
Losing the first two sets by 6-1 6-2 adds a special feeling. Furthermore, he saved two consecutive match points on his own serve by firing out consecutive aces.
The winner of the upcoming clash may face the current world No. 1 Rafael Nadal next. The Spaniard will try to temper down the young Russian tennis star Andrey Rublev, who got past David Goffin in the previous round.
