There was no chair umpire to save Nick Kyrgios this time, and Roger Federer showed no quarter.
And so Federer, the best men’s singles player of all time and the No. 2 seed, put a straight-set beating on the polarizing Kyrgios, 6-4, 6-1, 7-5, on Saturday afternoon at Arthur Ashe Stadium. It moves Federer on to the fourth round to face unseeded John Millman as the ageless Swiss master looks for his sixth U.S. Open title.
“He played really well today,” Kyrgios said. “I didn’t play my best tennis, but he played really, really well. I couldn’t have done much today.”
Kyrgios made headlines earlier in the week when he was getting badly beaten early in his second-round match and chair umpire Mohamed Lahyani came down and gave him a strange pep talk. It got Lahyani reprimanded by the USTA, but it also helped Kyrgios turn around that match and win.
Even Federer called it out of line, which made this matchup even more intriguing.
But right from the outset, Federer showed his advanced pedigree and professionalism. And the 37-year-old still has some pizzazz, as well, hitting one of the great shots of his illustrious career in the third set when he chased down a drop shot at an extreme angle and hit it around the net for a winner. It ignited the Ashe crowd and even Kyrgios had to stop and applaud.
“It was definitely one of the more unique ones,” Federer said. “I have hit a few throughout my career, and, sure, they are always fun, just because sometimes you can sort of aim for them because you realize you have an option more, which you just never have. As you’re hitting it, you’re, like, Oh, I can just shove it down the line and just flat. That’s what happened today.
“I definitely think it was a special one, no doubt about it.”
As for what Kyrgios thought about it, he was still smiling an hour after the match.
“It was unbelievable,” he said. “I’m probably going to place it on Instagram.”
At that point in the match, it seemed like Kyrgios was just along for the ride. He often tried to hit a drop shot that he either buried in the net or Federer chased down like he was 20 years old. Then when Kyrgios tried to come to the net, the cagey Federer would often pass him with one of those sterling backhands.
“If anyone else is doing those shots against me, I’m probably not too happy,” Kyrgios said. “But it’s Roger. I was pretty happy.”
Federer remained steady, and he forced Kyrgios to beat him — which was a very difficult proposition as Kyrgios made 35 unforced errors.
“Today I think he didn’t come up with the goods when he really had to, and I was good by making him hit that extra shot,” Federer said. “Things worked well for me.”
There is no doubting Kyrgios’ talent, but the 23-year-old Australian clearly doesn’t have the best mentality. After losing the first set, he sat there animatedly talking to his family and friends in their seats on the other side of the court. That was a tough moment, as it seemed like he had a real chance to win the first set, as he was cruising through his service games with ease.
But when the set was tied 3-3, Federer was able to come back from Love-40 and eventually win a game with six dueces. It seemed to crack the mindset of the fragile Kyrgios, whose career is turning into more flash than substance.
“At 3-all, love-40, I take one of those points, the match is wide open,” Kyrgios said. “He’s not going to play as well as he did towards the end of the first set or into the second set. Doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that out.
“I know how to beat him. I have beat him before. Obviously not today.”