John Millman has stunned Roger Federer with a feat only four other Australians have managed to achieve.
Millman and Federer did battle in the US Open fourth round on Tuesday (AEST), with a shot at Novak Djokovic in the quarter-finals on the line.
The Swiss Maestro stamped his authority early, taking the first set 6-3.
It looked like Millman was in for a short night until he shocked the World No.2 by taking the second set 7-5, the first set Federer has dropped all tournament.
Federer served for the set at 5-4, but the Aussie veteran managed to break back, before breaking again at 6-5 to take the set.
The impressive achievement makes Millman just the fifth Australian in history to win a set against Federer at grand slam level, joining Pat Rafter, Lleyton Hewitt, Wayne Arthurs and Sam Groth.
The tennis world went absolutely nuts over the unexpected turn of events.
Roger Federer served for the second set, but John Millman breaks the No. 2 seed twice to even the match at 3-6, 7-5.
Roger Federer served at 5-4, 40-15—and goes on to lose the second set to John Millman, 7-5. It’s one set all on a humid night, and Roger is well off his game at the moment. He’s made just 36% of first serves, has hit seven double faults and has 37 unforced errors.
Millman was quietly confidence heading into the match, not just from breaking into the world’s top 50 after a career-best season, but also a near miss against the great Swiss in Brisbane three years ago.
The Queenslander had Federer on the ropes before letting slip the chance to claim the biggest scalp of his career in front of friends and family.
A huge underdog, Millman is nevertheless intent on not letting his latest opportunity slip by without an almighty fight.
SHARAPOVA’S RUN ENDS
Maria Sharapova’s long unbeaten record in night session matches at Flushing Meadows was ended in the fourth round by Carla Suárez Navarro.
Sharapova, the champion in 2006, had won 23 straight matches under the lights, including her previous three contests this year, but Suárez Navarro, on her 30th birthday, clinched a 6-4, 6-3 victory to reach her second quarter-final in New York. It was well deserved for the 30th seed, who next plays Madison Keys, as she drew errors from Sharapova racket and used her flowing single-handed backhand with great effect.
“It will be a really tough match [against Keys]. She is from the United States so the crowd will probably help her,” Suárez Navarro said. “I need to be aggressive … try to be solid, run and fight. This is the way that I can play really good tennis. I have the character inside, sometimes I have to show more but, well, I’m working on that.”
Suárez Navarro is 10 inches shorter than Sharapova and had won only one of their previous five matches, while her only previous appearance in the last eight here came five years ago.
The fourth-round once again proved the end of the road for Sharapova, who made 38 unforced errors, including eight double faults. The Russian has not reached the quarter-finals in New York since 2012.
DJOKOVIC BREEZES THROUGH
Novak Djokovic, suffering again as the heatwave returned to New York with a vengeance, had to red-line his way though an edgy 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 win over the gifted João Sousa to reach the quarter-finals of the US Open for the 11th time.
“Very happy to get this one done in three sets,” Djokovic said as headed for the locker room. “It was much more difficult than the score indicated. Tough conditions, especially for the first hour or so. I’m just trying to cherish the moment. I’m not 21 any more. Some times you just have to survive.”
It was going to script until the latter stages of the second set when the fatigue that almost cut him down in his tough first-round win in four sets over Marton Fucsovics returned.
A mental meltdown then struck after a long protest over a point when 2-1 up in the third set (possibly buying time as his energy leaked away). Sousa did not look impressed when the British chair umpire James Keothavong announced Djokovic was receiving a medical evaluation, but he was back on court within minutes.
