US Open Tennis 2019 Results: Serena Williams, Roger Federer Advance on Friday
August 30, 2019
Roger Federer cruised past Dan Evans in Round 4 of the 2019 U.S. Open on Friday. The Swiss icon lost only five games in a straight-set victory at Flushing Meadows in New York.
Serena Williams was close to faultless as she eliminated Karolina Muchova in straight sets. Ashleigh Barty will continue in the tournament after the second seed defeated Maria Sakkari.
Elsewhere, No. 7 seed Kei Nishikori is out of the competition after losing in four sets to Alex de Minaur.
Karolina Pliskova almost slipped up against Ons Jabeur, but the No. 3 seed regained her momentum to move into the next round. Johanna Konta looked good in her match with Shuai Zhang, and the British No. 1 advanced with ease in straight sets.
Friday' Early Results
Men's Singles
(3) Roger Federer bt. Dan Evans: 6-2, 6-2, 6-1
Alex de Minaur bt. (7) Kei Nishikori: 6-2, 6-4, 2-6, 6-3
Women's Singles
(2) Ashleigh Barty bt. (30) Maria Sakkari: 7-5, 6-3
(3) Karolina Pliskova bt. Ons Jabeur: 6-1, 4-6, 6-4
(8) Serena Williams bt. Karolina Muchova: 6-3, 6-2
(16) Johanna Konta bt. (33) Shuai Zhang: 6-2, 6-3
Visit the U.S. Open website to see results and fixtures in full.
Early Recap
There was a huge gulf present between Federer and Evans at Arthur Ashe Stadium. The Swiss was in business mode, and the Brit lacked the variation needed to make an impact.
Federer won the opening set in just 29 minutes, with the veteran stepping on the gas to produce two breaks of serve in succession at the end of the set.
The heat of the day and atmospheric conditions made the ball fly through the air with additional pace. Federer made sure he exploited the extra zip to pin down his opponent.
There was no let up for Evans in the second, and Federer clearly had aspirations to be off the court at the earliest chance. The 38-year-old was nimble during points, and two more breaks of Evans' serve closed out the second.
The final set appeared a formality. Federer had already pummelled Evans' resolve, and the 29-year-old lost his serve three times despite gaining his only break from the No. 3 seed.
The tournament shared footage of the match:
The five-time U.S. Open champion landed 10 aces, hitting 48 winners on the quickening court. It appeared the ball was moving slower on the opening day of the tournament this year at Arthur Ashe, but there were signs of more natural pace and life during Friday afternoon.
Federer expressed his pleasure at the result and commented on his opponent, per George Bellshaw of Metro:
Williams looked at home on New York's hard courts, and despite a brief improvement in the final set, Muchova struggled to maintain a challenge.
The American was scintillating at times, producing a combination of accuracy and aggressiveness in the first set.
Williams was in the zone and revelled in the conditions despite the rising temperatures. Two breaks of serve were all that were needed for the 37-year-old at the end of the opening set to win 6-3.
The Czech had the wind in her sails briefly in the final set, with Williams temporarily losing her way on her own serve. The 23-year-old's athletic style posed questions, but the six-time champion hit her groove once again.
Williams claimed three breaks of serve in the second set and cantered into the next round with plenty to spare.
All stats via the tournament's official website.