Things aren't looking good for Roger Federer. Photo / Photosport
Things aren't looking good for Roger Federer. Photo / Photosport
Roger Federer has overcome his second consecutive sluggish start to defeat Bosnian Damir Dzumhur 3-6 6-2 6-3 6-4 and advance to the US Open third round.
World No. 99 Dzumhur broke the five-times champion in his first two service games and raced out to a 4-0 lead before many in the crowd had found their seats at Arthur Ashe Stadium, which had its retractable roof closed due to rain.
Federer is 4-0 down to Duzumhur.
Possibly the worst 15 minutes of tennis I've seen him play in... years.
Despite some shaky serving, the 27-year-old Dzumhur took the first set thanks to 17 unforced errors from the Swiss on Wednesday.
The tide shifted in the first game of the second set, however, when Federer saved a break point at 30-40 following a wild rally during which both players raced from corner to corner before Dzumhur sent a forehand into the net.
From there Federer's superior serving carried the day, as he finished with 16 aces to the Sarajevo native's two and thumped a rocket that Dzumhur could not return on match point to clinch victory.
"I was able to save my serve after a sloppy first set," Federer said. "I came through. I buckled down and told myself I was going to hang tough and not get broken and that made a big difference."
Federer, however, has looked vulnerable at the tournament.
He dropped the opening set of his first-round match against qualifier Sumit Nagal and while he may get away with slow startsin the early rounds, he will need to be more consistent if he hopes to win a record-extending 21st grand slam title.
Roger Federer looked vulnerable. Photo / Photosport
"Very similar to the last one," Federer said. "I tried to make less errors and be better on the offensive. It just takes me some time I guess."
Federer will next play Lucas Pouille or Dan Evans for a place in the round of 16.
Japanese seventh seed Nishikori, the 2014 US Open runner-up and a semi-finalist in 2016 and 2018, eliminated 108th-ranked American Bradley Klahn 6-2 4-6 6-3 7-5 after two hours and 44 minutes.
Nishikori, who could face Federer in the quarter-finals, broke twice and took the first set in 28 minutes, but Klahn closed the second set with a break to level the match.
Nishikori dominated from there until serving for the match up 5-1 in the fourth set. Klahn saved a match point in the seventh game and won 12 of 15 points, then denied another Nishikori match point and held serve to 5-5.
But Nishikori held again, seized three more match points, and finally capitalised on the last of them when Klahn smacked a backhand beyond the baseline. "A little bit of lost focus after 5-1," Nishikori said. "He started playing better too."
Next in Nishikori's path will be either Australian Alex de Minaur or Chilean 31st seed Cristian Garin.
Czech third seed Pliskova, seeking her first Grand Slam title and the world number one ranking, ousted 202nd-ranked Georgian qualifier Mariam Bolkvadze 6-1, 6-4 in 66 minutes.
"It was a solid performance," Pliskova said. "I didn't have to play the best today."
Pliskova, the 2016 US Open runner-up, will next face either Tunisia's Ons Jabeur or Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus.
Pliskova needs to reach at least the quarter-finals to have a chance at becoming world number one. Defending champion Naomi Osaka and reigning Wimbledon champion Simona Halep must win the title.
French Open champion Ashleigh Barty, the second seed from Australia, has the inside track in the chase for number one, thanks to Osaka defending more points from her win last year.
Barty was set to play 73rd-ranked American Lauren Davis later. The Aussie could meet Serena Williams in the quarter-finals.
Also advancing was Ukrainian fifth seed Elina Svitolina, who beat seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams 6-4, 6-4.
Defending champion Novak Djokovic and six-time US Open champion Serena Williams were set for later matches at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
US eighth seed Williams, seeking a 24th career Grand Slam title to match the all-time record won by Margaret Court, faces 17-year-old US wildcard Caty McNally.
Williams, 37, had won her first Slam title at the 1999 US Open and reached her second Flushing Meadows final before 121st-ranked McNally was born.
Djokovic, winner of four of the past five Slam titles and 16 in all, meets Argentina's 56th-ranked Juan Ignacio Londero in the other night feature. The Serbian star is trying to become the first back-to-back Open champion since Federer's run from 2004-2008.
