NEW YORK — Roger Federer already has dropped two more sets at the U. S. Open than he did during his entire two weeks en route to the title at Wimbledon. Worried about a recent back problem that kept…
NEW YORK — Roger Federer already has dropped two more sets at the U. S. Open than he did during his entire two weeks en route to the title at Wimbledon.
Worried about a recent back problem that kept him from getting ready the way he usually does for a Grand Slam tournament, Federer had to overcome an early deficit and a late lapse Tuesday night to edge 19-year-old American Frances Tiafoe, 4-6,6-2,6-1,1-6,6-4, in a compelling first-round contest under the Arthur Ashe Stadium roof.
”I didn’ t have the preparation I was hoping to get, ” Federer said. ”I always knew I was going to come in feeling rusty or not great.”
The third-seeded Federer, whose most recent of five championships at Flushing Meadows came in 2008, was broken in the first game and dropped the opening set of the topsy-turvy match. He then appeared to take control by grabbing eight of nine games to seize the second and third sets. But he let that lead slip away. There was more trouble when Federer served for the match leading 5-3 in the fifth and got broken.
”I was quite up and down, ” Federer said, acknowledging that he was cautious with his footwork and had some trouble seeing the ball properly. “I was misjudging distance, being a bit cautious.”
Tiafoe’s take: ”He won by the skin of his teeth.”
Federer’s initial match point came at 5-3,40-30, but Tiafoe staved that off, then broke. He produced a cross-court forehand winner at an unbelievable angle to earn the chance, before converting it with a terrific forehand passing winner down the line. Tiafoe roared and pumped a fist, yelling to the crowd, which included his twin brother Franklin, and sprinted to the sideline for the changeover.
When he had to come back out and serve, Tiafoe was a bit flat. Federer wasted his second match point with a netted backhand. On the third – with Federer’s wife, Mirka, covering her eyes in the stands – Tiafoe hit a stumbling forehand into the net.
”In these best-of-five-set matches, ” Federer said, ”you have a lot of lives sometimes.”
It was the 36-year-old Federer’s 79th career victory at the U. S. Open, equaling Andre Agassi for second-most. Only Jimmy Connors has more, with 98.
Federer played with the roof shut at Ashe for the first time. He missed last year’s tournament, when the retractable cover made its debut, because he took off the second half of 2016 to let his surgically repaired left knee and a bad back fully heal.
”It felt like people were happy to see me again, ” Federer said.
In 2017, he is 36-3 with five titles, including the Australian Open and Wimbledon, where Federer won every set he played across seven matches while collecting his record eighth trophy at the All England Club and 19th Grand Slam championship overall.
For more than a half-hour Tuesday, it appeared as if Federer was still dealing with the after-effects of having tweaked his back during a loss in the hard-court final at Montreal this month. He sat out the following week’s tournament at Cincinnati.
At least, Federer said, his back was not in pain Tuesday.
“To get through a five-setter, you have to be OK, somehow, ” Federer said. “So I believe this is going to give me great confidence in the body and also in my game. My hope and my belief is that it’s only going to get better from here.”
“It was more than a test, it was a good one. It was exciting.”
Tiafoe, who is from Maryland and now is based in Florida, is ranked 70th and has never been past the second round at a major tournament. Tiafoe was profiled on an HBO “Real Sports” segment earlier this year. His parents fled the war-torn West African nation of Sierra Leone before settling in Maryland and his father worked as the janitor at a tennis academy.
This was his second match against Federer. Tiafoe pushed Federer to a first-set tiebreaker when they faced each other in March at the Miami Masters before losing in two sets.
“He is the greatest of all time, ” Tiafoe said after the match. “It’s something I’ ll think about for a while. Eventually, I’ ll win more than I lose these.”

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US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley has urged for
US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley has urged for „something serious has to happen“ to punish the North Korean regime for violating UN sanctions after Pyongyang launch of a missile over Japan, .
The Security Council was expected to meet late on Tuesday to discuss actions after Donald Trump announced „all options are on the table“ for the US following the launch of what is believed to be an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) – either a KN-17 or Hwasong-12 – over the northern part of Hokkaido.
It is Pyongyang’s 13th missile test this year, but the first one over a populated area in Japan – such tests are rare.
Mr Trump, who has vowed not to let North Korea develop nuclear missiles that can hit the mainland United States, said the world had received North Korea’s latest message „loud and clear“.
„Threatening and destabilising actions only increase the North Korean regime’s isolation in the region and among all nations of the world. All options are on the table, “ Mr Trump said in a statement.
Mr Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe spoke and agreed that North Korea „poses a grave and growing direct threat“ to the United States, Japan and South Korea, the White House said.
Ms Haley said the launch was “absolutely unacceptable and irresponsible” and that „enough is enough“.
Ms Haley said she hoped China and Russia would continue to work with the rest of the Security Council to discuss what more can be done about North Korea’s nuclear and missile programmes. China and Russia typically only view a test of a long-range missile or a nuclear weapon as a trigger for further possible UN sanctions.
The Security Council unanimously imposed new sanctions on North Korea earlier this month after it staged two long-range missile launches in July.
Russian UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia – responding to Mr Trump’s statement – said: “It’s troubling, because tensions are high and whose nerves are stronger, we don’t know.”
China’s Foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said the crisis was “approaching a critical juncture”, but it might also be a turning point to open the door to peace talks.
It was reported recently that US Intelligence officials had deduced that the isolated regime of North korean leader Kim Jong-un has developed the ability to place a nuclear warhead on an intercontinental ballistic missile.
Rhetoric has been steadily escalating since. In the wake of that news, Mr Trump said Pyongyang would face “fire and fury” if it threatened the United States, with North Korea then threatening to fire four missiles into the sea near the US Pacific territory of Guam.
Shortly after the latest launch, South Korea – the capital of Seoul is only 193 miles (312 km) from North Korea – tested a bomb at one of its border installations. South Korea and the United States had also discussed deploying additional “strategic assets” on the Korean peninsula, South Korea’s presidential Blue House said in a statement, without giving more details.
The latest missile fell into the sea 1,180 km (735 miles) east of Hokkaido, the Japanese government said. In many northern Japanese towns, sirens wailed and loudspeakers urged residents to take cover.
The launch was North Korea’s second since US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson appeared to make a peace overture last week, by welcoming what he called the restraint Pyongyang had shown by not conducting tests for several weeks. Mr Trump also expressed optimism last week about a possible improvement in relations, saying of that he was full of „respect the fact that [Mr Kim] is starting to respect us.”
Having to rely on the UN to help with future action may not be entirely to Mr Trump’s liking, despite repeatedly saying a diplomatic solution to the threat from North Korea was best. In the past, Mr Trump has been a fierce critic of the UN and particularly the Security Council.
During the 2016 campaign, Mr Trump repeatedly called the UN a „a club for people to get together, talk and have a good time“.
In April he hosted the 15 member council for a rare lunch at the White House and told them he was “disappointed” because the “UN doesn’ t like to take on problems“ and has remained “blindfolded” for decades to taking action on threats like North Korea.
Richard Gowan, a UN expert with the European Council on Foreign Relations, told The Independent in April that Mr Trump’s comments “could actually be useful blather.”
He “may just scare a few Council members into being a bit more constructive in future, ” said Mr Gowan.
Ms Haley described August’s UN sanctions to CNN as a „gut punch“ to Mr Kim.
„The ball is in North Korea’s court. They now have to decide where they want to go from here. We hope that they will go the route of peace and security, “ she said at the time.
British Prime Minister Theresa May called on China to put more pressure on North Korea to stop missile tests, saying Beijing has a key role to play in international efforts to prevent what she described as significant provocation by Pyongyang.
On Tuesday, North Korea fired a ballistic missile over northern Japan’s Hokkaido island into the sea in a new show of force.
„We want to ensure that they desist this action. We see that the best way of doing that is for China to be bringing pressure to bear on North Korea, “ May told reporters on her way to Japan for meetings with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

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