Roger Federer, of Switzerland, returns a shot to Daniel Evans, of the United Kingdom, during round three of the US Open tennis championships. Photo / AP
Roger Federer, of Switzerland, returns a shot to Daniel Evans, of the United Kingdom, during round three of the US Open tennis championships. Photo / AP
Five-time champion Roger Federer raced into the last 16 of the US Open on Saturday with a 6-2 6-2 6-1 rout of 58th-ranked Briton Dan Evans in just 80 minutes before reacting angrily to claims of preferential treatment.
Federer blasted 48 winners and served up 10 aces en route tothe victory, his 18th straight third-round win at the Open.
Third seed Federer, a 20-time grand slam winner, is looking for a first Flushing Meadows title since 2008. He meets Belgian 15th seed David Goffin or Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain for a spot in the quarter-finals.
Asked during his on-court interview about his team being seated in the shade while Evans' entourage sat in the sun, Federer added insult to injury as he took aim at England's weather and its effect on Brits' complexion.
"The Brits maybe need a bit of sun sometimes!" Federer joked.
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But the 38-year-old wasn't in such a playful mood when quizzed about whether he gets treated better in terms of scheduling at grand slams. There's a perception — sometimes voiced by other players — Federer gets to play at whichever timeslot he wants while others make do with what they're given.
Roger Federer, of Switzerland, waves to the crowd as he walks off the court after defeating Damir Dzumhur, of Bosnia, during the second round of the US Open. Photo / AP
Often that complaint comes out around the time of the Australian Open if he plays most of his matches at night rather than during the day in the sapping heat of a Melbourne summer, but the Swiss maestro angrily shut down suggestions he gets an easier ride.
Asked if he'd requested a 12pm start in New York — the first match of the day on Centre Court — Federer said: "Not really. I don't remember that I asked for something.
"I don't even know if the team asked for a day (match). I know there were questions to have a preference.
"But that doesn't mean like, 'Roger asks, Roger gets'. Just remember that, because I have heard this s**t too often now.
"I'm sick and tired of it, that apparently I call the shots. The tournament and the TV stations do.
"We can give our opinion. That's what we do. But I'm still going to walk out even if they schedule me at 4 o'clock in the morning."
Federer's remarks come as Evans suggested it wasn't entirely fair he played in the evening on day four of the US Open then had to rock up at midday the very next day.
"You think I have any say about that?" Evans said. "There's probably about four people in this tournament who have a say in when they play, maybe three.
"Obviously the tournament would rather Roger going through that match than me, so it's understandable."
But Evans didn't blame the scheduling, instead praising Federer for simply being a class above.
"He was too good," Evans said. "I guess I didn't play my best today but he got on me early. He has every shot, it's not ideal to have an opponent who has every shot"
"I actually thought he played pretty much no-error tennis."
Earlier, third-seeded Karolina Pliskova overcame her emotions and an inspired opponent to advance to the round of 16, downing Ons Jabeur 6-1 4-6 6-4. Pliskova, a former No. 1 who reached the final at Flushing Meadows in 2016, won despite looking out of synch for much of the match.
After Jabeur took treatment on her right knee at the end of the first set and began winning in the second, Pliskova smashed her racquet in frustration, earning a warning from the chair umpire.
But Pliskova relied on a strong serve game to get it back on track. And Jabeur, a Tunisian who had been seeking to become the first Arab woman to reach the fourth round of a grand slam tournament, faltered down the stretch.
Though she cracked 49 winners, she also had 43 unforced errors, 17 of them in the final set.
