Monday, August 31, 2009

Federer eases through in New York

US OPEN
Venue: Flushing Meadows, New York Date: 31 August - 13 September
BBC coverage: Live text commentaries on the website from 1600 BST each day, regular updates on 5 live, full commentary on 5 live sports extra in week two, both finals on 5 live, tennis special on 5 live (3 September, 2000-2100 BST)

Roger Federer
Federer is bidding to win his third Grand Slam title of 2009

World number one Roger Federer began the defence of his US Open title with a 6-1 6-3 7-5 victory over American teenager Devin Britton.

Federer started magnificently and broke his 18-year-old opponent twice before taking the opening set in 18 minutes.

The 28-year-old Swiss was broken once in the second and third sets but came through in 88 minutes and will play Germany's Simon Greul in round two.

Home favourite Andy Roddick, the 2003 champion, plays later on Monday.

Eight seed Nikolay Davydenko eased through with a 6-3 6-4 7-5 win against Dieter Kindlmann and he now faces the Czech Republic's Jan Hernych, who beat 2003 Australian Open finalist Rainer Schuettler in five sets.

Robin Soderling, the French Open champion an 12th seed, was a 6-1 3-6 6-1 6-4 winner against Albert Montanes and number 14 seed Tommy Robredo overcame Donald Young 6-4 3-6 6-2 6-3.

Paul-Henri Mathieu, seeded 26th, got off to a fine start against Mikhail Youzhny but fell apart to lose 2-6 7-5 6-0 6-2 and now trails the Russian 4-1 in their head-to-head record.

The next opponent for Federer is the unseeded Gruel, who came through a marathon to beat Giovanni Lapentti 6-3 4-6 3-6 6-0 7-6 (11-9).

Federer is bidding to become the first man to win six straight US Open titles since Bill Tinden from 1920 to 1925, and he could hardly have wished for a more comfortable start.

Britton, ranked 1,370 in the world and a wildcard entry into the tournament, looked completely out of his depth early on.

606: DEBATE
AlphaDraconis99

The 2008 junior US Open runner-up won only one point in the first three games but put his name on the scoreboard in the fourth with three scorching aces.

Federer barely broke sweat in taking the first set but it looked as though he might have been in trouble at the start of the second.

Britton engineered three break points in game four and the promising right-hander broke to love with a rasping cross-court return.

But 15-time Grand Slam champion Federer upped the intensity and rattled off a five-game winning streak to go two sets up.

With the third set a more even affair, it seemed Britton's break at 3-3 offered the American a route back into the match.

But he was immediately overpowered by the top seed, losing his serve and then falling 5-4 behind as Federer held comfortably.

Britton held his next game but was again serving to save the match at 6-5 and, after squandering three game points to force a tie-break, he saw a Federer cross-court winner set up match point.

Federer sealed his progress with a fizzing cross-court forehand and he remains in the hunt for a fifth Wimbledon-US Open double - no other man in the open era has achieved that feat more than twice.

He also hopes to win three Grand slam tournaments in a year for the fourth time.

ะพ 10:41 AM

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