Western and Southern Open 2019: Roger Federer Upset in Thursday's Play
August 15, 2019
The top tennis players in the world entered Thursday seeking a trip to the quarterfinals of the Western and Southern Open.
The Day 6 schedule from Cincinnati featured Novak Djokovic and Ashleigh Barty, the top seeds in each singles draw, as well as plenty more big names like Roger Federer, Venus Williams, Naomi Osaka and Simona Halep among others.
Some had an easier time than others on the hard courts than others in an eventful Round 3.
Thursday Matches/Results
Men's Draw
No. 1 Novak Djokovic def. Pablo Carreno Busta 6-3, 6-4
Andrey Rublev def. No. 3 Roger Federer 6-3, 6-4
Lucas Pouille def. No. 8 Karen Khachanov 6-7(3), 6-4, 6-2
No. 9 Daniil Medvedev def. Jan-Lennard Struff 6-2, 6-1
No. 11 Roberto Bautista Agut def. Miomir Kecmanovic 6-1, 6-2
No. 16 David Goffin def. Adrian Mannarino 7-6(6), 6-2
Richard Gasquet def. Diego Schwartzman 7-6(6), 6-3
Yoshihito Nishioka def. Alex de Minaur 7-5, 6-4
Women's Draw
No. 1 Ashleigh Barty def. Anett Kontaveit 4-6, 7-5, 7-5
No. 2 Naomi Osaka def. Su-Wei Hsieh 7-6(3), 5-7, 6-2
No. 3 Karolina Pliskova def. Rebecca Peterson 7-5, 6-4
No. 16 Madison Keys def. No. 4 Simona Halep 6-1, 3-6, 7-5
Sofia Kenin def. No. 7 Elina Svitolina 6-3, 7-6(3)
Svetlana Kuznetsova def. No. 8 Sloane Stephens 6-1, 6-2
Maria Sakkari def. No. 9 Aryna Sabalenka 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-4
Venus Williams def. Donna Vekic 2-6, 6-3, 6-3
Full results available at the tournament's official site.
Notable Matches
Andrey Rublev def. No. 3 Roger Federer
In the biggest upset of the tournament so far, Andrey Rublev took down No. 3 seed Roger Federer.
The 21-year-old entered the event on a three-match losing streak, including two on hard courts, but he was at his best in the third round against the veteran.
Rublev won 27-of-33 points on first serves including five aces, holding Federer to just one break in the match. He also took advantage of his opponent's mistakes to end up with an emotional victory.
It was just his third career win over a top-10 opponent, but he is clearly trending up heading into the U.S. Open.
On the other hand, Federer could be a little rusty going into New York following this loss:
The good news is he will be fresh for the upcoming Grand Slam.
No. 1 Ashleigh Barty def. Anett Kontaveit
After earning a straight-set win over Maria Sharapova in her first match of the tournament, Ashleigh Barty had a lot more trouble in her next match against Anett Kontaveit.
Kontaveit won the first set and was up 5-3 in the second set before Barty won four straight games to close out the victory.
The No. 1 seed struggled at times with her accuracy, finishing with seven double faults, but she kept the pressure on with nine aces in the three sets. She also pushed her opponent all over the court for some impressive winners:
Barty also saved 62 percent of her break points to keep her alive despite trailing for much of the day.
It took over two hours, but the top seed survived the match to get into the quarterfinals for a battle against Maria Sakkari.
Venus Williams def. Donna Vekic
Even at 39 years old, Venus Williams continues to get it done on the court.
The latest match wasn't an easy one as Donna Vekic grabbed the opening set with an easy 6-2 win. However, Williams fought back in front of the American crowd with two straight easy set victories.
Her ability to play the net was a big help to end points early in a long match:
Saving two-thirds of her break points also was a big plus in winning the match and getting into the quarterfinals.
Although Williams is the oldest woman in the singles field, she should not be counted out as a legitimate contender to win it all.
Novak Djokovic def. Pablo Carreno Busta
It was a smooth performance from Novak Djokovic to win in straight sets against Pablo Carreno Busta.
Djokovic was unbeatable for much of the night, getting winners in a variety of ways:
There were few mistakes from the Serbian, getting 71 percent of his first serves in play while tallying zero double faults. This allowed him to finish with eight aces and win 82 percent of his first serves.
He also wasn't broken a single time in the match, giving the unseeded opponent few opportunities to stay in the match.
With Karen Khachanov and Federer losing Thursday, the top half of the bracket has really opened up for the No. 1 seed to go on a run. Daniil Medvedev looms as the most dangerous player remaining, but Djokovic will first half to get past Lucas Pouille in the next round.
Friday Schedule
Center Court
WTA: No. 1 Ashleigh Barty vs. Maria Sakkari; 11 a.m. ET
ATP: No. 11 Roberto Bautista Agut vs. Richard Gasquet; Not before 1 p.m. ET
WTA: No. 2 Naomi Osaka vs. Sofia Kenin; Not before 3 p.m. ET
WTA: Venus Williams vs. No. 16 Madison Keys; Not before 7 p.m. ET
ATP: No. 1 Novak Djokovic vs. Lucas Pouille; Not before 9 p.m. ET
Grandstand
WTA: No. 3 Karolina Pliskova vs. Svetlana Kuznetsova; 11 a.m. ET
ATP: Yoshihito Nishioka vs. David Goffin
ATP: No. 9 Daniil Medvedev vs. Andrey Rublev; Not before 7 p.m. ET
Full schedule available at the tournament's official site.