NEW YORK – Roger Federer served sensationally on Friday as he routed his spring training partner Daniel Evans 6-2 6-2 6-1 for a place in the US Open fourth round.
The record 20-time Grand Slam winner Federer had dropped the first set in each of his first two matches at Flushing Meadows.
But Evans only got one break – when it was too late, in the third set of the lopsided affair.
Federer, 38, allowed Evans just six points on his serve in the first set, and then won his next five service games at love to take the second set and go 1-0 up in the third.
The 58th-ranked Evans broke two games later, but did not even get a sniff at a comeback as Federer reeled off the next four games to complete the quickest men’s draw victory of the current tournament in a mere 1 hour, 20 minutes.
Federer finished with 48 winners, while Evans – who was invited by Federer to train with him in Switzerland ahead of the French Open – had a mere seven.
“I played really good tennis and enjoyed myself,” said Federer, who had a rest day on Thursday, while Evans had to play on back-to-back days because his second-round match was washed out by rain on Wednesday.
%%%twitter https://twitter.com/rogerfederer?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@rogerfedererkeeps storming the net to much success... #USOpen pic.twitter.com/RaQYERaFd4
— US Open Tennis (@usopen)
Women’s 2016 finalist Karolina Pliskova also made the last-16 when the third-seeded Czech fought off Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur 6-2 4-6 6-4, wrapping up matters with a backhand winner.
Later matches on Friday include women’s six-time champion Serena Williams against Karolina Muchova, and men’s number one and title holder Novak Djokovic facing Denis Kudla.
%%%twitter https://twitter.com/KaPliskova?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KaPliskovaoutlasts Jabeur 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 in Louis Armstrong Stadium to reach R4... #USOpen pic.twitter.com/5eTXwKAIhm
— US Open Tennis (@usopen)