US Open Tennis 2011 Results: Roger Federer vs. Marin Cilic Highlights

Roger Federer held his ground against Marin Cilic in the third round of the U.S. Open on Saturday, but he didn't dominate the way the No. 3 seed should.

Sure, Cilic, at 22 years of age, has been touted as a potential Grand Slam singles champion down the line, but he certainly isn't close yet, ranked 27th in the world.

Federer, who won 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2, wasn't very refined with his backhand or serve, but he's still undoubtedly No. 3 in the world (Andy Murray certainly isn't helping the case). At 30 years of age, he likely doesn't have many more opportunities to win a Grand Slam as his career winds down. However, he did enough to win on Saturday, and we all know the true greats tend to hang around the discussion. 

Result

Federer was undoubtedly the better player on Saturday (as we could have expected) and the big moments, such as the break points, were won by the 16-time Grand Slam singles champion. He suffered scares in the second and third sets, but was able to come out of the match unharmed.

The question is, will his unspectacular serve and backhand be taken advantage of down the line? After all, doing just enough to beat an opponent has never been Federer's creed. We all know how dominant he has been throughout his illustrious career. But while his display against Cilic was decent, it was also a signal that "Fed Express" is beginning to slow down. When he lost the second set to Cilic on Sunday, it marked the first time he had lost a set to the Croatian.

Said Federer via ESPN, "Tough match from start to finish, really, because also the first set could have gone differently. I know that."

Federer came into the 2011 U.S. Open with a good draw up until potentially the quarterfinals. But he's going to have to raise his play if he expects to win his 17th Grand Slam singles title.

Storyline

You can never count a player of Federer's caliber out of a major tournament; plenty of historic players have proven that throughout the years. But a big reason why some thought the declining tennis star had a shot this year at the U.S. Open was because both Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal came into the tournament with injuries. Now that Djokovic's shoulder appears fine, it's hard to take Federer over Djokovic as the best player of 2011.

However, that doesn't mean Federer isn't going to do everything in his power to win another major. To start 2011, he lost three straight tournaments to Djokovic, but he also got some payback in their next meeting in the semifinals of the French Open. He's lost twice to Nadal and twice to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, his potential quarterfinals opponent. But he's also Roger Federer.

The question isn't whether Federer will fall out of the top three as he begins to decline, but how soon. Whether you're a Federer fan or not, most people would like to see him win a couple more Slams before all is said and done. The greats find a way to defy the odds.

Next Up for Federer

Federer faces Juan Monaco next in the fourth round of the U.S. Open. Monaco, an unranked player, defeated Tommy Haas on Saturday, 6-7, 6-3, 6-2, 6-3. The furthest the Argentinian has gone in any tournament was the final of the Power Horse World Team Championships, eventually losing to Florian Mayer. He lost in the second round of the Australian Open and first round of both the French Open and Wimbledon. In short, he shouldn't be much of a problem for Federer, highlighting a weak draw that had many projecting Federer into at least the quarterfinals.

However, the quarterfinals is where it gets tricky for Federer. He'll either face rising American Mardy Fish, who beat Kevin Anderson in straight sets on Saturday, or his 2011 nemesis, Jo-Wilfriend Tsonga.

Despite Fish's apparent rise, who is now ranked No. 8 in the world, Federer may prefer him over Tsonga. Tsonga is ranked No. 11 in the world, but since Federer started off the year 2-0 against him, he's bounced back, defeating Federer at Wimbledon and in the Rogers Cup. He's had some solid outings at the AEGON Championships, Wimbledon and Rogers Cup this season, and Federer knows as well as anyone that he can be a threat.

Of course, if Federer makes it past the quarterfinals, he will likely face none other than Djokovic in the semifinals. It's a rough road past the fourth round, but nothing figures to be easy for Federer at this point in his career anyway.