Australian Open: Roger Federer struggled in round three
Roger Federer has reached the third round of the Australian Open 2019. The defending champion had more problems against British qualifier Daniel Evans than he would have liked.
by tennisnet
last edit: Jan 16, 2019, 08:26 am
Roger Federer was back in the crucial phases. And so the defending champion moved into the third round of the Australian Open 2019 after a 7: 6 (5), 7: 6 (3) and 6: 3 against Daniel Evans. Not with the ease that Federer had seen since the beginning of the year. At the Hopman Cup, the Swiss had shone and, at the start against Denis Istomin, played his game confidently.
Against Evans, against whom Federer had so far easily won the only match in Wimbledon in 2016, the 20-time major winner was far from everything. In the first set, Federer had a better chance than a setback, but still had to go into the tie break. There were initially six mini-breaks, then Evans suddenly led 5: 3. Federer made the comeback and after a little over an hour the 1-0 lead.
Federer in round three against Fritz
In run two, the favorite started with a break, but was unable to reserve at 5-4. Again it was a quick decision, this time Federer had fewer problems, finished the set with an ace.
In the third act Evans helped properly in the ultimately decisive break to 3: 1, but this time the six-time Melbourne champion no longer let himself go and finished the match after a playing time of 2:36 hours. In the third round, Federer meets Taylor Fritz on Friday, who beat Gael Monfils in four sets.
After the match, Federer said in an interview with Jim Courier that the first two sentences could have had a different outcome. Daniel Evans is a player who acts a little like his reflection on the court. In the end, however, a few weak phases showed too much.