Federer defeats Melzer in US Open
Swiss tennis champions Roger Federer is well on his way to winning his sixth US Open after comfortably beating Austria's Jurgen Melzer in the fourth round of the tournament.
The current world number two overcame Melzer in three sets on Monday evening, winning 6-3 7-6 (7-4) 6-3. Federer will now face Swedish fifth seed Robin Soderling in the quarter finals.
Melzer never looked like overcoming his Swiss superior, but Federer was lucky not to lose in the tie break of the second set.
"Obviously, the tiebreakers are always crucial," Federer told the press after the match. "It was a tough match today, breezy. He's a tough opponent and a close friend of mine so it was never going to be easy. I'm really relieved and happy to get through."
Federer squeezes through second set
With a 2–1 lead in games in the first set, Federer broke Melzer's serve on his fourth break point. Two clumsy forehand shots by Federer then saw Melzer break back to make it 4–3 in games.
But Federer, regaining his composure after losing his serve, broke again with effective forehand play to win the next two games and claim the first set 6–4 in only 27 minutes.
Melzer matched Federer in the second set, which he could have won by breaking at 5–4, but a love service game by Federer put him level at 5–5. He claimed a total of ten aces in the match, with Melzer managing only two.
The Austrian continue to pressure Federer in the ensuing tie break, but a stroke of luck saw Federer break as his shot hit the net and fell onto Melzer's side of the court to make it 6–4.
Melzer broke in the first game of the third set, only to have Federer break back in the second. At 3–2, Melzer failed to win his game point with a backhand shot, after which Federer broke again to 4–2.
At that point, the match was Federer's to claim, and the 29-year-old made no mistakes as he won his next two service games.
Soderling could threaten in quarter finals
Federer now expects a tough test in the quarters. "[Soderling's] always been a dangerous player but these days he's been able to do it consistently, at the highest level. So this is a tough draw for me, playing him in the quarters."
Federer has won 12 of 13 encounters with the Swede, but lost to him in this year's French Open.
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