So much for the first US Open matchup between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
Federer failed to live up to his end of the bargain.
Hours after Nadal did his part with an easy victory to get to the semi-finals at Flushing Meadows, Federer was unable to join him for what would have been the most anticipated showdown of the entire two weeks, wasting chances to take control and missing shots he normally makes in a 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 (10/8), 6-4 loss to 2009 champion Juan Martin del Potro on Wednesday.
Photo: EPA
“He came up with the goods when he needed to and I helped him a little bit sometimes, too, maybe,” Federer said.
Federer described himself as too “edgy” and said “that little magic was missing.”
He said that, unlike just about everyone else, he did not spend any time at all pondering a possible matchup with Nadal at the only Grand Slam tournament where they have never met.
Photo: EPA
Their rivalry has included 37 matches and at least two finals at each of the other majors.
“I had struggled too much throughout the tournament to think too far ahead,” Federer said.
Given that he is 36 and Nadal is 31, perhaps it is time for the tennis world to concede that a match between the two at the US Open will never happen.
This is the sixth occasion when they were a round away from playing in New York, but one or the other lost — including eight years ago, when del Potro beat Nadal in the semi-finals, then Federer in the final to end the Swiss star’s run of five consecutive titles at the tournament.
This time, Federer entered the quarter-finals 18-0 in Grand Slam play this season, including titles at the Australian Open and Wimbledon to raise his record count to 19 major championships.
However, he tweaked his back at a tournament last month, curtailing his preparation for the US Open and he was not quite at his best for stretches. He needed five sets to win each of his first two matches and on Wednesday succumbed to Del Potro’s familiar formula of massive forehands and booming serves.
Before the US Open began, Nadal was honest as can be when asked whether he hoped to face Federer.
The answer, the No. 1-seeded Nadal said, was no, because he would rather go up against someone easier to beat.
He faces 24th-seeded Del Potro today.
The other semi-final features two men who have never been this far at any major: No. 12 Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain and No. 28 Kevin Anderson of South Africa.
Yu Yao-hsing on Tuesday nabbed Taiwan’s only goal in the final round of qualifiers for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup, as they fell 3-1 to Sri Lanka at Taipei Municipal Stadium. Early goals from Sri Lanka in the first half left Taiwan struggling to get on the board, and Christopher Tiao’s own goal at 53 minutes sealed the team’s fate in the third round of qualifiers. While acknowledging that the defeat, Taiwan’s sixth in Group D, was disappointing, head coach Matt Ross said he saw reasons to stay positive about the team’s development. “There were lots of positive signs in terms of the
Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli yesterday vowed to “keep raising the bar” after winning the Japanese Grand Prix to become the youngest driver in Formula One history to lead the championship standings. The 19-year-old Italian took advantage of a mid-race safety car to jump into the lead after a dreadful start from pole position, crossing the line ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. Antonelli’s Suzuka victory came two weeks after the first grand prix win of his career in China, and sent him top of the championship standings after three races, nine points ahead of team-mate George Russell. Mercedes are struggling to
INDIGESTION: Italy failed to qualify for the World Cup for a third consecutive time after a 4-1 defeat to Bosnia on penalties in a loss Gattuso said was ‘difficult to digest’ Coach Graham Arnold on Tuesday challenged his players to “shock the world” after Iraq became the 48th and final team to qualify for the FIFA World Cup with a nerve-shredding 2-1 win over Bolivia in an intercontinental playoff in Mexico, as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Turkey, the Czech Republic, Sweden and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) also secured their places at the finals. Iraq, whose preparations were disrupted by the war in the Middle East, sealed their first appearance at the finals in 40 years and are to play in Group I against France, Senegal and Norway. Goals from Ali al-Hamadi
Teng Kai-wei, the only Taiwanese player on an opening-day roster in this year’s Major League Baseball (MLB) season, took his first win of the year with the Houston Astros in his season debut. Teng entered in relief in the top of the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday, with the Astros trailing 5-0. He pitched 2-1/3 scoreless innings with two strikeouts, as Houston scored 11 runs during his outing to snatch an 11-9 comeback victory. The win is the Astros’ first of the season and the third of Teng’s MLB career. “It’s my first time pitching for the Astros, so
RSS