Roger Federer

The main draw of the 2019 Shanghai Masters got under way on Sunday, with Nikoloz Basilashvili the first seeded player to progress into Round 2.

Basilashvili, seeded 15th, had to come from behind to beat Radu Albot 4-6, 6-1, 6-3. There were also wins for Taylor Fritz, Joao Sousa and Hubert Hurkacz.

More big names will take to the court on Monday, including three-time Grand Slam winner Andy Murray after some impressive performances at the China Open, as well Gael Monfils—seeded ninth—and Marin Cilic.

                

Shanghai Masters: Round 1 Results

(15) Nikoloz Basilashvili bt. Radu Albot:  4-6, 6-1, 6-3

Taylor Fritz bt. Fernando Verdasco : 7-6 (2), 6-7 (5), 6-4

Joao Sousa bt. Filip Krajinovic: 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5)

Hubert Hurkacz bt. Zhang Zhizhen: 7-6 (5), 6-4

          

Monday Schedule: Selected Matches

Center Court 1 

Frances Tiafoe vs. Denis Shapovalov 

(10) Fabio Fognini vs. Sam Querrey

Andy Murray vs. Juan Ignacio Londero

Zhang Ze vs. Pablo Carreno Busta

           

Show Court 3

Albert Ramos-Vinolas vs. Marin Cilic

Vasek Pospisil vs. (14) Diego Schwartzman

(9) Gael Monfils vs. Lorenzo Sonego

Mikhail Kukushkin vs. Miomir Kecmanovic

        

For the results, draw and schedule in full visit the competition website.

                 

Sunday Recap

Although the high-profile names don't get their quest for success going until later in the week, those who were in attendance at the Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena on Sunday got their money's worth in terms of quality matches.

Basilashvili was the highest-ranked player on show, and it took him a while to get going up against Albot. The Romanian played the better tennis in the first set, laying down a challenge for his opponent.

However, the Georgian was able to show his class over the course of the next set, as he conceded just one game to level the match. From there, it was always going to be an uphill task for Albot, who was unable to live with the intensity of Basilashvili in the decider.

Fritz and Fernando Verdasco played out the tightest match of the day, with the young American prevailing over his veteran opponent.

After two tiebreaks and a tense final set, which was won by Fritz after notching an early break, the match stretched to almost three hours:

In 2hrs40mins, Taylor Fritz advances in a marathon match over Fernando Verdasco, 7-6(2), 6-7(5), 6-4. His reward? A 2nd round match up vs No. 7 Karen Kachanov. #RolexSHMasters pic.twitter.com/pvHrsRVPop

— Rolex Shanghai Masters (@SH_RolexMasters) October 6, 2019

The spectators will be intrigued to see how Murray fares as he continues his recovery from injury. The former world No. 1 recently made it to the quarter-finals of the China Open, where he was beaten by eventual winner Dominic Thiem.

The top seed for the tournament is defending champion Novak Djokovic, with Roger Federer second; they are set to be in action on Tuesday. Djokovic will face the winner of the match between Frances Tiafoe and Denis Shapovalov, with Federer up against either Cilic or Albert Ramos Vinolas.

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez is reportedly making plans to stage a tennis match between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer at the Santiago Bernabeu. 

According to ABC (h/t Football Espana), Perez has told some of the club's hierarchy of his plans, and Madrid fan Nadal is "open to playing in such an occasion."

The report added Perez wants to set an all-time record attendance for tennis at Real's 81,044-seater stadium in the Spanish capital.

The current record is the 35,681 who watched an exhibition match between Kim Clijsters and Serena Williams in Brussels in 2010.

Nadal and Federer, though, are already part of a plan to beat that mark on February 7, 2020, at the Cape Town Stadium in South Africa, which holds 55,000 spectators, per Reuters.

Arguably the two greatest players to ever wield a racket, Nadal moved to within one of Federer's all-time Grand Slam record when he won the U.S. Open last weekend:

https://twitter.com/DavidLawTennis/status/1170871765851103232

The 33-year-old Spaniard beat Russia's Daniil Medvedev 7-5, 6-3, 5-7, 4-6, 6-4 at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York.

He will have the chance to join Federer, 38, on 20 Grand Slam titles at the 2020 Australian Open, which starts in January.

Nadal's only previous triumph in Melbourne was in 2009, making it his least productive Grand Slam tournament, as he has won Wimbledon twice, the U.S. Open four times and the French Open a record 12 times.

By contrast, Federer is a six-time Australian Open champion, and he will likely be viewing 2020's opening Grand Slam as a good opportunity to further open the gap between him and Nadal. 

Rafael Nadal will contest the U.S. Open title for a fifth time on Sunday against Grand Slam final debutant Daniil Medvedev, who is out to crown a successful 2019 with his maiden major.

Nadal, 33, won his third U.S. Open in New York two years ago and returns to the final at Billie Jean King National Tennis Center after defeating 24th seed Matteo Berrettini 7-6 (6), 6-4, 6-1 in the semis.

Medvedev has made it past the fourth round of a major for the first time in his career and faces a stiff task attempting to stop Nadal, who is chasing his 19th Grand Slam.

He beat Grigor Dimitrov 7-6 (5), 6-4, 6-3 in Friday's semi-final and is on the cusp of his biggest career accolade by a wide distance.

The Spaniard won his 12th French Open in June and lost to Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open final, showcasing form to suggest he won't stop adding to his trophy cabinet any time soon.

        

Date: Sunday, September 8

Time: 4 p.m. ET/9 p.m. BST

Live Stream: Amazon Prime, Watch ESPN (U.S.)

TV Info: ESPN (U.S.)

The 2019 U.S. Open will not be broadcast on television in the United Kingdom, although Amazon Prime will provide live-stream coverage of the tournament.

        

Preview

Medvedev, 23, has emerged as the latest Next Gen prospect to challenge Nadal, Djokovic and Roger Federer, but the star trio have continued to thrive on the biggest stages in 2019.

The three veterans have accounted for six of the eight finalists at Grand Slams this year, with French Open runner-up Dominic Thiem the only other player along with Medvedev to contest a decider.

Injuries have taken their toll on Nadal for portions of his career, but he looks as good physically of late as he did in his earlier years.

ESPN Stats & Info highlighted his longevity and even improvement during his most recent years:

Rafael Nadal has a chance to become the first man in the Open Era to win five major titles after his 30th birthday.

He would also join Jimmy Connors (1982-83) as the only men in that time to win multiple US Opens after turning 30 in the Open Era. pic.twitter.com/hsxRQTdd3r

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) September 7, 2019

The second-round walkover against Thanasi Kokkinakis was a welcome blessing for Nadal, one that will have aided him racking up a record of four straight-sets wins in five matches at Flushing Meadows. 

Though a decade younger, Medvedev will likely feel more drained after playing six matches—four of those went to four sets, while he defeated Dimitrov and Prajnesh Gunneswaran in three.

The clean sweep of Dimitrov in particular bodes well for the Russian ahead of his first major final:

Medvedev appears a confident character and didn't seem fazed when he was booed by the U.S. Open crowd during his 7-6 (1), 4-6, 7-6 (7), 6-4 third-round win over Feliciano Lopez:

He could thrive as an underdog in what will be his first experience feeling pressure of this magnitude. Nadal, meanwhile, prepares for his 27th major final and returns to the scene of his 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 hammering of Kevin Anderson to take the 2017 title.

Medvedev has enjoyed the best year of his career thus far and has had particular success in North America-based tournaments, reaching finals in Washington, Montreal and Cincinnati (where he won).

He's beaten the likes of Djokovic, Thiem and Marin Cilic in recent months. However, Jose Morgado underlined Nadal's renewed form in 2019 as he seeks to end 2019 as world No. 1:

Nadal is the biggest favorite to finish the year as #1 now. His season has been amazing and his first title came just in may, (latest 1st season title in 14 years):

AO F
(Rotterdam R2)
Indian Wells SF
MCarlo SF
Barcelona SF
Madrid SF
Rome W
RG W
Wimbledon SF
Canada W
USOpen F*

— José Morgado (@josemorgado) September 7, 2019

A shorter match suits the veteran and could give Nadal the best chance of utilising any extra energy he's got in reserve. Medvedev may be more tentative expending stamina early on, and Nadal's speed is sure to throw off Medvedev's awkward style.

Nadal breezed past the Russian 6-3, 6-0 to win the Montreal Open in August, and another straight-sets swatting could be on the cards if he finds his rhythm early.

Pick: Rafael Nadal to win in three sets.

Grigor Dimitrov, the 78th-ranked men's player in the world, defeated No. 3 Roger Federer in a five-set thriller in the U.S. Open quarterfinals in New York on Tuesday.  

Semifinal bound ➡️

Grigor Dimitrov scores his first ever win over Roger Federer, defeating the five-time champion 3-6, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2.@GrigorDimitrov | #USOpen pic.twitter.com/HAzYVIahdE

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 4, 2019

The unseeded Dimitrov beat the 20-time major winner 3-6, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

The 28-year-old was impressive all night, perhaps never more so than when he was up 5-4 in the fourth set. Once there, Dimitrov warded off a triple break point (and five break points total) to tie the match at two sets apiece.

🚨 UPSET ALERT 🚨

Watch the deciding fifth set between Roger Federer and Grigor Dimitrov live on ESPN! pic.twitter.com/8G9w7T2H6C

— ESPN (@espn) September 4, 2019

After that, Federer took a medical timeout for an undisclosed reason for close to 10 minutes. He returned to the court but was clearly not the same player, as Jose Morgado of the Diario Record noted:

Off court MTO for Federer, who looked like feeling some back pain during the 4th set.

— José Morgado (@josemorgado) September 4, 2019

Federer can’t really play at the moment. Never retired from a match in his career, won’t be today.

Dimitrov 4-0

— José Morgado (@josemorgado) September 4, 2019

After the match, Federer revealed that is dealing with an upper back ailment but gave credit to his opponent for the win, per Ben Rothenberg of the New York Times:

Federer said it was an upper back issue which started this afternoon, but doesn’t want to dwell on it.

“This is Grigor’s moment and not my body’s moment.”#USOpen

— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) September 4, 2019

While Federer may have played at less than 100 percent, Dimitrov's win was well-deserved considering his sensational return game, historical record against his opponent prior to Tuesday and rough recent stretch.

Dimitrov won 48 percent of his second return points (27-of-56) compared to 30 percent (12-of-40) for Federer. He also had just 41 unforced errors to Federer's 60.

Grigor Dimitrov did a split to get this point against Roger Federer 😱

After dropping the first set, Dimitrov battles back to take the second set at the #USOpen pic.twitter.com/pzNFSyFQQs

— ESPN (@espn) September 4, 2019

A backhand beauty. 👏@GrigorDimitrov | #USOpen pic.twitter.com/fKkHxkBu1v

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 4, 2019

Leading 4-2, the Bulgarian continues to bring the fight 💪@GrigorDimitrov | #USOpen pic.twitter.com/bHwBSluGcg

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 4, 2019

He dominated in the fifth and final set, breaking Federer twice en route to a 4-0 lead and an eventual 6-2 victory.

Dimitrov also won one more set Tuesday than he had against Federer in seven lifetime matches, all of which were losses.

Lastly, Dimitrov was not enjoying a successful season leading into the U.S. Open, as Tumaini Carayol of the Guardian wrote:

https://twitter.com/tumcarayol/status/1169094931060789255

A significant shoulder injury has hindered the world's former No. 3 player, who has now made three grand slam semifinals. He was off the tour for a few months to recuperate.

However, he seems well past that injury now, and his win will certainly make a few people happy as Arash Madani of Sportsnet wrote:

Dimitrov is almost universally liked and respected among his peers. With the ups and downs he's had, through the struggles he's endured, you have to believe there are many in that locker room who are rooting for him in this spot.

— Arash Madani (@ArashMadani) September 4, 2019

Tennis commentator Nick McCarvel summed up the night well:

Regardless of how you feel, this is a MOMENT for Grigor Dimitrov. Ranked 78th. The last 20 months have been nightmarish. And here he is... back into a major SF at the 2019 #usopen

— Nick McCarvel (@NickMcCarvel) September 4, 2019

Dimitrov will now face No. 5 Daniil Medvedev, who beat Stanislas Wawrinka in the quarterfinals. The two men have split their two matches, both of which occurred in 2017. Their rubber match will take place Thursday at a time to be determined.

The winner will advance to the finals and face the last man standing on the opposite side of the draw.

No. 24 Matteo Berrettini will face No. 13 Gael Monfils in one quarterfinal, and No. 20 Diego Schwartzman will look to upset No. 2 Rafael Nadal in the other.

Those matches will take place Wednesday, with the semifinal occurring Friday and the final taking place Sunday.

Roger Federer will make his return to the U.S. Open quarter-finals on Tuesday and faces Grigor Dimitrov, the only unseeded player still remaining in the 2019 men's singles.

Five-time winner Federer has reached the last eight of this competition 12 times and has a superb opportunity to end his 11-year wait for another crown following Novak Djokovic's retirement in New York.

Serena Williams also faces a relatively clear run to the women's final, and the No. 8 seed will meet China's Wang Qiang in Tuesday's evening session looking to make the most of her fine fortune.

Like Federer, Williams is the second-highest seed remaining in her side of the tournament. However, she'll target a strong display in the quarter-final clash with Wang to prove she's worthy of a record-breaking seventh Open Era title in this contest. 

              

Tuesday's Key Evening Picks

Men's Singles

(3) Roger Federer to beat Grigor Dimitrov, 8:30 p.m. ET/1:30 a.m. BST (Wed., Sept 4)

     

Women's Singles

(18) Wang Qiang to beat (8) Serena Williams, 7 p.m. ET/12 a.m. BST (Wed., Sept 4)

Visit the U.S. Open website to see the draw in full

         

Tuesday TV Schedule

12 p.m.-6 p.m. ET (men's and women's quarter-finals), ESPN

7 p.m.-11 p.m. ET, ESPN for Primetime

Visit the U.S. Open website for a full TV schedule.

The 2019 U.S. Open will not be broadcast on television in the United Kingdom, although Amazon Prime will provide live-stream coverage of the tournament.

                 

Preview

The stage might be set for Federer and second seed Rafael Nadal to finally contest a U.S. Open decider, the only Grand Slam in which these two tennis icons are yet to play a final against one another.

Even at the ripe age of 38, Federer has looked like improving as this tournament has gone on. He dropped  first sets against Sumit Nagal and Damir Dzumhur in the first and second rounds, respectively, but has since notched much more convincing straight-sets wins over Dan Evans and David Goffin.

He lost a combined total of nine games over the course of those latter two results. Federer hasn't won a U.S. Open title since 2008—his longest wait for any of the four majors—but tennis writer Jose Morgado underlined his remarkable ability to stay competitive in the latter stages of all the sport's biggest competitions:

56 Grand Slam QFs for Federer

AusOpen - 14
Roland Garros - 12
Wimbledon - 17#USOpen - 13

— José Morgado (@josemorgado) September 1, 2019

Federer scored a total of 82 winners to Goffin's 39 in what was one of the most one-sided matches between two top-bracket players at this competition. For any under the impression the Swiss is too far past his best to stay competitive at the top of the sport, this was the result that disproved the theory.

Dimitrov proceeded through his section of the bracket in a run that included wins over Alex de Minaur, Andreas Seppi and Kamil Majchrzak (as well as a walkover against 12th seed Borna Coric).

Tennis blogger Matthew Willis illustrated Dimitrov's reaction after advancing to the last eight, though the former world No. 3 will have to up his game by several notches to match Federer:

Dimitrov nearly in tears. Looks *so* happy.

"Pleased to be back on the court, pain free."

He abruptly ends his slump, in very impressive fashion.

Plays Federer in the quarters.

— Matthew Willis (@mattracquet) September 1, 2019

The Bulgarian has lost to Federer in each of their seven career matchups to date, the most recent of which was a 6-2, 6-2 annihilation in the final of last year's Rotterdam Open. Federer has won 16 of the 18 total sets played between the pair.

Wang, 27, has another giant-slaying in her sights on Tuesday evening after she bested world No. 2 Ashleigh Barty 6-2, 6-4 in the last round, though Williams looks like the more dangerous prey by comparison.

That's if record-chasing Williams can be referred to as such, especially considering the gulf between her and her upcoming opponent in terms of career accolades:

Serena Williams vs Qiang Wang.

Who reaches the semifinals?#USOpen pic.twitter.com/WkdljGobji

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 3, 2019

That being said, Wang is yet to drop a set in four matches so far and could prove to be Serena's kryptonite. Age doesn't appear to be a factor for Williams, although the right competition in playing style could prove her undoing. 

One of Wang's strengths lies in her problem-solving—a key to beating Williams is the ability to adjust on one's feet—while she identified patience as being important to her win over Barty:

Both of those traits will serve her well against Williams, whose record at Flushing Meadows is impressive despite the fact she's failed to win in any of her last three visits.

The Chinese representative will meet Williams for the first time in her maiden Grand Slam quarter-final appearance, but this late bloomer could be set to launch a tactical surprise come Tuesday night.

The field at the 2019 U.S. Open continued to dwindle Sunday as players advanced to the quarterfinals. 

Serena Williams and Roger Federer were atop the marquee for the afternoon's action, while Novak Djokovic and Madison Keys highlight the prime-time matches.

Here's a look at how everything played out.

   

US Open Round of 16 Results

Men's Bracket

[3] Roger Federer def. [15] David Goffin, 6-2, 6-2, 6-0

Grigor Dimitrov def. Alex de Minaur, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4

   

Women's Bracket

[18] Wang Qiang def. [2] Ashleigh Barty, 6-2, 6-4

[16] Johanna Konta def. [3] Karolina Pliskova, 6-7(1), 6-3, 7-5

[8] Serena Williams def. [22] Petra Martic, 6-3, 6-4

   

Recap

On the men's side of the bracket, the afternoon session was defined by breezy victories by Roger Federer and Grigor Dimitrov. Federer barely needed more than an hour in a 6-2, 6-2, 6-0 blowout of David Goffin, his second straight near-flawless match after opening the tournament by dropping the first set in each of the first two rounds.

"It was great. I thought I had a good feeling out here," Federer said on the court afterward. "David didn't have his best day either; he was struggling."

Federer finished the match with 10 aces and won 85 percent of his first-serve points. He won nine of 10 break points against a struggling Goffin, who double-faulted four times and won just 39 percent of his first-serve points. 

Federer will move on to play Dimitrov, who earned a 7-5, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Alex de Minaur. The former world No. 3, who has struggled with his form and a shoulder injury all season, will be making his first U.S. Open quarterfinals appearance.

On the women's side, the results were anything but chalk. No. 2 seed Ashleigh Barty and No. 3 seed Karolina Pliskova were both upset in matches that will shake up the entire bracket.

Wang Qiang moved into her first-ever Grand Slam quarterfinal with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Barty that was defined by her ability to win clutch points. Barty had nine break-point chances and lost them all, while Wang won half of her six opportunities. 

"Q was very good, very solid," Barty told reporters after the match. "I felt like she was able to put the ball with great depth in difficult positions for me. I still was able to create opportunities. Just very frustrating that on the big points today, Q played a lot better.

"I think, I probably had, what, nine or 10 break points, wasn't able to even get one of them, which is really frustrating."

Johanna Konta got past Pliskova in a three-set nail-biter that the No. 3 seed gave away with errors. Pliskova double-faulted nine times and could not find any rhythm on her second serve, winning just 30 percent of the points. Konta, by contrast, did not double-fault once and had five aces.

Hearing @SerenaWilliams talk about her daughter will make your day ❤️

Two years ago today, Serena gave birth to her daughter Alexis Olympia. Today she advances to her 16th quarterfinal at the #USOpen pic.twitter.com/uuxeRfatO5

— espnW (@espnW) September 1, 2019

Serena Williams continued her quest for a seventh U.S. Open title with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Petra Martic. The victory was the 99th in her U.S. Open career.

Serena was broken only once the entire match and overcame an ankle injury in the second set. She has not lost more than four games in a set since dropping the first set in her match against Caty McNally in the second round. 

Williams will play Wang on Tuesday, hoping to move into the semis. 

Roger Federer told reporters that he's "sick and tired" of claims that he and other competitors have influence over when they play tournament matches:

"I don't remember that I asked for something. I don't even know if [my] team asked for day [session]. But [asking] doesn't mean like, 'Roger asks, Roger gets.' Just remember that, because I have heard this s--t too often now. I'm sick and tired of it, that apparently I call the shots. The tournament and the TV stations do."

The comments arose after Federer defeated Daniel Evans 6-2, 6-2, 6-1 in the third round of the U.S. Open at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Friday. After the match, Evans said—without naming Federer explicitly—that three or four people "have a say when they play." 

"Just to try and beat him feeling tired, stiff, playing four sets yesterday, it's near on impossible," Evans said. "You think a guy who's my ranking has any say in that? There is probably about four people in this tournament who have a say when they play. Maybe three."

The schedule was not in Evans' favor after inclement weather Wednesday pushed a handful of outdoor matches back one day. Federer was able to play indoors at Arthur Ashe Stadium. 

The unseeded 29-year-old Evans won over No. 25 Lucas Pouille in four sets but endured a three-hour, 10-minute match to do so. He then had to turn around quickly and face Federer at noon Friday.

Ultimately, Federer understood why Evans was upset, even if he didn't agree that he or others had influence on the schedule.

"I have been there. I know what you're talking about. You could definitely argue that the scheduling was not in his favor. But it's also not fair for me to play my match under the roof, get it done, sit back, relax the next day while he's battling out a four-hour or a three-hour match, whatever it is.

"That's tennis. It's entertainment, and the show must go on. I've lost ... matches this way. I've won some. This time luck was on my side. So, yeah, I understand if Danny is a little bit frustrated."

Federer will face No. 15 David Goffin in the fourth round Sunday.   

Roger Federer cruised past Dan Evans in Round 4 of the 2019 U.S. Open on Friday. The Swiss icon lost only five games in a straight-set victory at Flushing Meadows in New York.

Serena Williams was close to faultless as she eliminated Karolina Muchova in straight sets. Ashleigh Barty will continue in the tournament after the second seed defeated Maria Sakkari.

Elsewhere, No. 7 seed Kei Nishikori is out of the competition after losing in four sets to Alex de Minaur.

Karolina Pliskova almost slipped up against Ons Jabeur, but the No. 3 seed regained her momentum to move into the next round. Johanna Konta looked good in her match with Shuai Zhang, and the British No. 1 advanced with ease in straight sets.

                      

Friday' Early Results

Men's Singles

(3) Roger Federer bt. Dan Evans: 6-2, 6-2, 6-1

Alex de Minaur bt. (7) Kei Nishikori: 6-2, 6-4, 2-6, 6-3

              

Women's Singles

(2) Ashleigh Barty bt. (30) Maria Sakkari: 7-5, 6-3

(3) Karolina Pliskova bt. Ons Jabeur: 6-1, 4-6, 6-4

(8) Serena Williams bt. Karolina Muchova: 6-3, 6-2

(16) Johanna Konta bt. (33) Shuai Zhang: 6-2, 6-3

Visit the U.S. Open website to see results and fixtures in full.

                      

Early Recap

There was a huge gulf present between Federer and Evans at Arthur Ashe Stadium. The Swiss was in business mode, and the Brit lacked the variation needed to make an impact.

Federer won the opening set in just 29 minutes, with the veteran stepping on the gas to produce two breaks of serve in succession at the end of the set.

The heat of the day and atmospheric conditions made the ball fly through the air with additional pace. Federer made sure he exploited the extra zip to pin down his opponent.

There was no let up for Evans in the second, and Federer clearly had aspirations to be off the court at the earliest chance. The 38-year-old was nimble during points, and two more breaks of Evans' serve closed out the second.

The final set appeared a formality. Federer had already pummelled Evans' resolve, and the 29-year-old lost his serve three times despite gaining his only break from the No. 3 seed.

The tournament shared footage of the match:

Roger Federer puts the ball away with an impressive volley in today’s AI Highlight of the Day, insights by @IBM Watson. #IBMsports pic.twitter.com/eejKqg0W9o

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 28, 2019

The five-time U.S. Open champion landed 10 aces, hitting 48 winners on the quickening court. It appeared the ball was moving slower on the opening day of the tournament this year at Arthur Ashe, but there were signs of more natural pace and life during Friday afternoon.

Federer expressed his pleasure at the result and commented on his opponent, per George Bellshaw of Metro:

https://twitter.com/BellshawGeorge/status/1167491207049764866

Williams looked at home on New York's hard courts, and despite a brief improvement in the final set, Muchova struggled to maintain a challenge.

The American was scintillating at times, producing a combination of accuracy and aggressiveness in the first set.

Williams was in the zone and revelled in the conditions despite the rising temperatures. Two breaks of serve were all that were needed for the 37-year-old at the end of the opening set to win 6-3.

The Czech had the wind in her sails briefly in the final set, with Williams temporarily losing her way on her own serve. The 23-year-old's athletic style posed questions, but the six-time champion hit her groove once again.

Williams claimed three breaks of serve in the second set and cantered into the next round with plenty to spare.

                    

All stats via the tournament's official website.

Roger Federer is on course to reach the U.S. Open fourth round for a third year running, but he'll need to beat Englishman Dan Evans on Friday if he's to keep the dream alive.

He and fellow Swiss star Stanislas Wawrinka resume their campaigns at Flushing Meadows in New York City, with the latter set to take on Paolo Lorenzi in Friday's afternoon session.

Awaiting Wawrinka in the fourth round is a potential clash with world No. 1 Novak Djokovic, who won't be in action until the evening, when he faces American Denis Kudla.

Serena Williams overcame a slow start to beat Caty McNally in her last outing, and unseeded Karolina Muchova promises to pose another difficult test in the third round.

Second seed Ashleigh Barty is another headline name set to play on Friday, with the Australian facing her first seeded opponent of the competition, No. 30 Maria Sakkari.

              

Friday's Key Afternoon Picks

Men's Singles

(3) Roger Federer to beat Dan Evans

Pablo Carreno Busta to beat (15) David Goffin

(17) Nikoloz Basilashvili to beat Dominik Koepfer

(23) Stanislas Wawrinka to beat Paolo Lorenzi

Grigor Dimitrov to beat Kamil Majchrzak

     

Women's Singles

(2) Ashleigh Barty to beat (30) Maria Sakkari

(8) Serena Williams to beat Karolina Muchova

(16) Johanna Konta to beat (33) Zhang Shuai

(22) Petra Martic to beat (12) Anastasija Sevastova

Visit the U.S. Open website to see the draw in full

         

Friday TV Schedule

8 a.m.-11 a.m. ET, Tennis Channel

11 a.m.-11 p.m. ET (third round/doubles), ESPN 3/ESPN+

12 p.m.-6 p.m. ET (third round), ESPN

6 p.m.-7 p.m. ET (third round), ESPN 2

7 p.m.-11 p.m. ET (prime time), ESPN 2

Visit the U.S. Open website for a full TV schedule.

The 2019 U.S. Open will not be broadcast on television in the United Kingdom, although Amazon Prime will provide live-stream coverage of the tournament.

                     

Preview

Federer and Evans have only met twice in competition before—and only in majors at that. The Brit lost both those battles in straight sets (at Wimbledon 2016 and this year's Australian Open), and a third consecutive defeat to 20-time Grand Slam winner Federer seems very plausible.

But Evans, 29, has already surprised at this tournament. He knocked 25th seed Lucas Pouille out of the running with a 6-4, 6-3, 6-7 (4), 6-4 win, qualifying for the U.S. Open third round for just the third time in his career:

To contrast, Federer has now reached the third round in each of his 19 appearances in the U.S. Open main draw. Furthermore, in only one of those previous 18 tournaments has he failed to reach the fourth round, during his maiden main draw appearance in 2000.

One might be tempted to think this is Evans' time to break his duck against Federer, now 38 and a lot further from his prime.

However, the former world No. 1—currently third in the ATP rankings—showed in his 3-6, 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 second-round victory over Damir Dzumhur that he's not a fading force:

Roger Federer puts the ball away with an impressive volley in today’s AI Highlight of the Day, insights by @IBM Watson. #IBMsports pic.twitter.com/eejKqg0W9o

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 28, 2019

The winner of their meeting will advance to face either 15th seed David Goffin or Pablo Carreno Busta. Both players turned professional in 2009 and are the same age (28) but have only met once in their careers, when Carreno Busta triumphed at the 2013 Portugal Open.

Carreno Busta opened his U.S. Open by beating 19th seed Guido Pella in the first round and has enjoyed some impressive wins of late, opening the possibility of another seeded departure in this clash.

Williams resumes her quest against Czech contender Muchova, who won a difficult struggle against 29th seed Hsieh Su-wei 6-1, 4-6, 7-6 (2) in the previous round.

The six-time U.S. Open winner is currently tied for the most Open Era title wins at this tournament. Following her 5-7, 6-3, 6-1 comeback win over McNally, Chris Evert—the woman with whom she's tied on six Open titles—doubled down on her Williams prediction:

Serena Williams found herself and her game midway in the second set against a talented and aggressive Catie McNally last nite. Still my pick to win this year...

— Chris Evert (@ChrissieEvert) August 29, 2019

The top-seeded stars have started to fall in the women's competition, however, and Barty will be wary of suffering her own upset after Taylor Townsend stunned No. 4 seed Simona Halep on Thursday.

Barty dropped her opening set in a first-round win over Zarina Diyas but looked far more at ease during her straight-sets win over Lauren Davis.

Five-time champion Roger Federer came from a set down to beat Bosnia and Herzegovina's Damir Dzumhur in four sets at the 2019 U.S. Open on Wednesday.

The Swiss star lost the opening set but responded well to book his place in the third round at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York.

Wednesday's early action was delayed by rain in New York, although the weather did not prevent seventh seed Kei Nishikori from seeing off America's Bradley Klahn under the roof at the Louis Armstrong Stadium.

In the women's draw, third seed Karolina Pliskova eased past Mariam Bolkvadze in straight sets on Arthur Ashe Stadium. The Czech star hit nine aces in 65 minutes to blast past the Georgian qualifier.

Pliskova is joined in the third round by Elina Svitolina. The fifth seed overcame Venus Willliams in straight sets.

     

Women's Early Results

(3) Karolina Pliskova bt. Mariam Bolkvadze 6-1, 6-4

(5) Elina Svitolina bt. Venus Williams 6-4, 6-4

    

Men's Early Results

(7) Kei Nishikori bt. Bradley Klahn 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5

(3) Roger Federer bt. Damir Dzumhur 3-6, 6-2, 6-3, 6-4

Full results and schedule is available from the tournament's official website

    

Wednesday Recap

Federer dropped the first set for the second match in a row at the U.S. Open on his way to victory over Dzumhur.

A forehand into the net in his opening service game handed his opponent the early break, and two more errors saw him go 3-0 down.

Tennis journalist Jose Morgado was not impressed with the third seed:

Federer is 4-0 down to Duzumhur.

Possibly the worst 15 minutes of tennis I've seen him play in... years.

— José Morgado (@josemorgado) August 28, 2019

Federer did manage to get a break back at 4-1 with some strong returning, but it was not enough to prevent Dzumhur claiming the opening set in just 29 minutes.

However, the 38-year-old clicked into gear in the second, looking more like his usual ruthless self on his way to levelling the match:

Roger responds 💥@rogerfederer takes the second set 6-2 over Damir Dzumhur #USOpen pic.twitter.com/IP512pCcpC

— ATP Tour (@atptour) August 28, 2019

Federer broke early in the third set with Dzumhur starting to struggle and calling for the trainer for treatment on an abdominal injury.

The 27-year-old was able to continue but was not as competitive as earlier in the match, and Federer clinched the third set 6-3 with an ace.

The former champion broke again at the start of the fourth set to move 2-1 up and did not face another break point on his way to victory in his 100th match at the tournament:

.@rogerfederer d. Dzumhur 3-6, 6-2, 6-3, 6-4.

In his 💯th @usopen match, the 🇨🇭 improves to 19-0 in second-round clashes at the event. 🔥 #USOpen pic.twitter.com/HxGBXLy7zf

— ATP Tour (@atptour) August 28, 2019

Federer goes on to play Great Britain's Dan Evans or 25th seed Lucas Pouille in the third round.

Pliskova and Bolkvadze played under the roof the Arthur Ashe due to the rain in New York, but the third seed had no problems adjusting to the indoor conditions.

The big-serving Czech showcased her power in the first service game by rattling down two aces to hold serve comfortably.

The third seed then forced an early break to move 3-1 up in the first set when Bolkvadze netted a forehand on break point. 

Pliskova's powerful returns were piling pressure on the Georgian, and she produced three double faults at 4-1 to hand her opponent another break point. The 27-year-old took full advantage to move 5-1 up and then served out the first set comfortably:

In control 💪

Quick start for @KaPliskova as she takes the opening set 6-1 over Bolkvadze...#USOpen pic.twitter.com/hySD0RabOi

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 28, 2019

Bolkvadze was guilty of more double faults at the start of the second set, and Pliskova capitalised again to move into a 2-1 lead.

However, this time the Georgian managed to hit back, breaking Pliskova for the only time in the match to level the scores at 2-2.

Bolkvadze looked stronger in the second set but another double fault gave Pliskova her fourth break point of the match, which she duly converted with a backhand winner to lead 3-2.

The Georgian was struggling to make any impact at all on the Pliskova serve and had to save a match point on her own serve at 5-3.

Yet she could not prevent Pliskova serving out the match and booking a place against Tunisia's Ons Jabeur or Belarus' Aliaksandra Sasnovich in the third round.