Roger Federer easily eliminated German qualifier Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-4, 6-2, 7-5 at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Monday to reach the US Open quarter-finals, thus inching one step closer to winning his 20th Grand Slam.
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Now, the 35-year-old third-seed from Switzerland will face Argentine No. 24 Juan Martin del Potro in Wednesday’s second quarter-final.
“The only time when he was really better, in my opinion, was the fifth set,” Federer told reporters, recalling his five-set loss to del Potro in the US Open quarter-finals in 2009.
“I feel like I would probably win it somehow because I should have been up maybe 2-0 or should have been up 2-1,” Federer continued about his contest against the Argentine eight years ago. “It was a good match. A lot of back and forth. Crowd was really into it. Started in the day, finished in the night.”
“I was not too disappointed I don’t think because I had a great run, you know, winning I think the French, Wimbledon and then the birth of my girls.”
Del Potro’s victory in 2009 also snapped Federer’s five-year winning streak in Flushing, Queens. However, the Argentine — who will be 29 later this month — has suffered several injuries since then and has had to undergo four wrist surgeries. On Monday, he advanced to the quarter-finals for the fifth time in nine appearances by defeating No. 6 Austrian Dominic Thiem 1-6, 2-6, 6-1, 7-6 (6-1), 6-4.
“I played one of the epic matches of my career here in the US Open, which is my favorite tournament, in front of a great crowd,” said Del Potro — who has been battling flu symptoms — following his victory on Monday.
“I know how to play if I want to win, but always is a pleasure to play the greatest guy in history,” the Argentine said of his upcoming matchup against Federer.
Top-seed Rafael Nadal also reached this year’s quarterfinals after defeating Ukraine’s Alexandr Dolgopolov 6-2, 6-4, 6-1 on Monday. The 31-year-old Spaniard will next face Russian 19-year-old Andrey Rublev on Wednesday.
Nadal and Federer have never faced off in a US Open final.
American No. 17 seed Sam Querrey also reached this year’s quarter-finals by seeing off Russian-born German No. 23 seed Mischa Zverev 6-2, 6-2, 6-1 on Sunday. Querrey will next face 28th-seeded South African Kevin Anderson at 8:15 pm EST on Tuesday.
On the women’s side, No. 9 seed
Venus Williams will face 13-seeded Czech
Petra Kvitova in Tuesday’s second quarter-final at 7 pm EST. The 37-year-old American — a seven-time major winner — eliminated Spaniard
Carla Suárez Navarro 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 on Sunday, while Kvitova — who suffered a hand injury in late 2016 after being attacked during a home invasion — defeated third-seeded Spanish sensation
Garbine Muguruza — a favorite to win this year’s US Open — 7-6 (7-3), 6-3 on Sunday.
Three other American women have reached the 2017 US Open quarter-finals: 24-year-old Sloane Stephens, who will face Latvian No. 16 Anastasija Sevastova at 2pm on Tuesday, 22-year-old No. 15 seed Madison Keys — who will play Estonian Kaia Kanepi on Wednesday — and 25-year-old No. 20 seed Coco Vandeweghe, who will face top-seeded Czech star Karolína Plíšková on Wednesday.
NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 03: Venus Williams of the United States returns a shot during her women’s singles fourth round match against Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain on Day Seven of the 2017 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 3, 2017 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)