As Delpo went the distance, Federer made short work of Kohlschreiber

NEW YORK—For once, a Roger Federer match was not the place to be at a tennis tournament. As Federer and Philipp Kohlschreiber began their fourth-round evening encounter in Ashe Stadium, cheers and roars and chants of “Olé” could be heard coming from the nearby Grandstand, where Juan Martin del Potro and Dominic Thiem had just begun the fifth set of what was fast becoming an epic.

It was hard to imagine a more extreme contrast in scenes. Delpo-Thiem was drawn-out, grueling, suspenseful and operatic; Federer-Kohlschreiber abrupt, businesslike, hit-and-miss and ultimately academic. The Swiss and the German had played 11 times, and the Swiss had won all 11. Make that 12. Federer would go on to win this one, 6-4, 6-2, 7-5, in an hour and 49 minutes.

As that match-duration implies, Federer and Kohlschreiber didn’t mess around with rallies. They went after their serves and returns, and tried to find the advantage in points right away. Federer, of course, was the one who found them more often than not. He finished with 11 aces, 39 winners and 20 errors, and he didn’t face a break point.

There were a few fleeting moments of competitiveness, early and late. Over the first five games of the first set, Federer made a spate of errors, a few of which inspired angry self-denunciations. But Kohlschrebier couldn’t take advantage of the mistake or the frustration, and Federer righted himself with an inside-in forehand winner to break for 4-3.

That was all Federer would need to win the first set, and the second quickly followed. At the start of the third, though, a few errors returned, as did the unhappy chatter. Again, Kohlschreiber couldn’t take advantage of this tiny opening, and Federer slammed the door by playing two terrific, high-energy games at 4-5 and 5-5. With a short-hop backhand pass, Federer secured the final break.

Is there any reason left to worry about Federer’s condition? He did leave the court after the second set to get what he called a “rub” on his lower back—or “bottom,” as he said. But he didn’t have any trouble covering the corners and racing from sideline to sideline when necessary. Late in the third, when Kohlschreiber went up 0-15 on his serve at 4-5, Federer snuffed out the quasi-threat by ranging hard to his right and rifling a crosscourt forehand winner. It looked to be the shot of a healthy man.

Best of all for Federer may be what happened in that operatic epic on the Grandstand. Del Potro, who has the flu, fought for three and a half hours before prevailing. Like the songs that came from that arena tonight, that news has to be music to Federer’s ears.