Federer survives five-set thriller in US Open
Wednesday, 03 Sep 2008 15:23
Roger Federer survives thriller against Igor Andreev at US Open
US Open defending champion Roger Federer survived a major scare in the fourth round to edge a five-set thriller against Russia's Igor Andreev.
The Swiss just about progressed to the quarter-finals at Flushing Meadows, as he looks to make it five titles in a row at the final grand slam of the season.
But Federer had to overcome a determined Andreev - the world number 23 - as well as the return of some of the stuttering form he showed earlier this season in a 6-7 7-6 6-3 3-6 6-3 win.
The former world number one dropped the first set and faced several break points in the second before coming through in a tiebreak.
Federer looked more at ease in the third set as he moved 2-1 up, but Andreev fought hard as mistakes began to creep into the favourite's game, showing in his demeanour on court, as he was taken to a decider.
However, as has happened so often in the past, the world number two raised his game when it mattered – with even an uncharacteristic show of emotion towards the end - claiming the fifth set and a place in the last-eight.
There, he will play Luxembourg's Gilles Muller, who shocked fifth seed Nikolay Davydenko in four sets to dump the Russian out of the competition.
Muller, who qualified for the main draw, looked fired up as he despatched his opponent with a series of fine shots for a 6-4 4-6 6-3 7-6 victory.