Roger Federer stole the show to put Nick Kyrgios in his place at the US Open.
The pair met in the third round in the most highly-anticipated men’s match of the tournament so far, but it proved to be style over substance as Federer raced to a 6-4 6-1 7-5 victory inside two hours.
There was still plenty to keep the Arthur Ashe crowd entertained, especially the forehand that Federer played around the net post in the seventh game of the third set that left Kyrgios open-mouthed in disbelief.
The Australian said: “It was almost unreal. It almost got to the point where I wanted him to start making shots like that, and I finally got it. If anyone else is doing those shots against me, I’m probably not too happy. But it’s Roger.”
Two days after the controversy over his pep talk from umpire Mohamed Lahyani during a second-round win over Pierre-Hugues Herbert, Kyrgios had hoped his tennis could write the headlines.
But a missed chance in the opening set, when he had Federer at 0-40 in the seventh game, proved the turning point. Read more