Account
Roger Federer vs. Steve Darcis: Score and Reaction from 2015 US Open
September 4, 2015
World No. 2 Roger Federer made quick work of Steve Darcis in the second round of the U.S. Open on Thursday night, winning in straight sets.
In a match that took just one hour and 20 minutes, Federer put on a show for those on hand at Arthur Ashe Stadium with his aggressive and accurate play. Here is a look at Thursday night's score:
| 2015 U.S. Open: Roger Federer vs. Steve Darcis | |||
| Player | Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3 |
| Roger Federer | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| Steve Darcis | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| USOpen.org | |||
The Swiss star's answer to critics who question his productivity at age 34 has been an emphatic one at the U.S. Open. In his first two matches, Federer has not lost more than two games in all six sets.
Even before the match began, Darcis seemed to be at a disadvantage simply because he was born in Belgium, as ESPN Tennis pointed out:
On the court, though, the Belgian received a firsthand look at the "sneaky attack by Roger," better known as "SABR." Federer was quick to the service line on his returns, rushing toward the net and putting pressure on Darcis to deliver an accurate shot, which did not come often.
Federer won 42 return points on the night. Compare that to Darcis' 14 and it is apparent just how dominant Federer's approach to the net turned out to be.
The challenger simply did not have an answer, as Federer breezed to a first-set 6-1 win in just 22 minutes. His points didn't just come from rushing the net either, as U.S. Open Tennis shared the replay of his first-set winner:
With the match looking to be over by the first set, the timing of things was not pleasing WTA Insider Courtney Nguyen:
It wouldn't get easier for Darcis, who continued to look overwhelmed throughout the match. In fact, you could see him during the second set looking defeated already, as TennisWorldItalia.com's Chiara Gambuzza caught a moment of despair:
Federer was reveling at the chance to show his new, aggressive play. As Darcis tried to force Federer to his backhand to try to prevent him from rushing the net, the world No. 2 was constantly hitting brilliant shots, mesmerizing Tennis.com's Jonathan Scott:
Highlight-worthy shot after highlight-worthy shot, Federer was on cruise control, taking the second set 6-2. It took him a whopping 32 minutes to win this set, the longest he had to wait all night.
Andrew Jerell Jones of the Guardian showed some of Federer's best shots of the set:
The third set was just as clinical from Federer, who closed out the match with a 6-1 win in 26 minutes. Darcis seemingly was going through the motions, gaining just one winner compared to Federer's 16 in the final set. Federer ended the night with 46 winners in 22 games on Thursday.
Darcis had eight.
If Federer can maintain this level of tennis moving forward, he is going to be one tough player to stop. No. 29 Philipp Kohlschreiber now has the burden of trying to slow down what seems like an unstoppable force in the third round.
Stats courtesy of USOpen.org
Follow Joe Pantorno (@JoePantorno) on Twitter.