NEW YORK: Five-time champion Roger Federer set up a mouthwatering US Open third round clash against Nick Kyrgios last night after the second seed defeated France’s Benoit Paire 7-5, 6-4, 6-4.
Federer, 37, will take a 2-1 career lead over the combustible Kyrgios into tomorrow’s duel but all three of the pair’s encounters have gone to three sets.
Kyrgios reached the third round by seeing off France’s Pierre-Hugues Herbert 4-6, 7-6 (8/6), 6-3, 6-0.
Fourth-seeded Alexander Zverev raced into the third round with a 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 victory over French lucky loser Nicolas Mahut.
He meets unseeded countryman Philipp Kohlschreiber in the third round.
Meanwhile, reigning Wimbledon women’s champion Angelique Kerber kept her bid for a second US Open title on track, outlasting Sweden’s Johanna Larsson 6-2, 5-7, 6-4.
Germany’s Kerber was knocked out in the first round last year in her defence of a 2016 US Open title that pushed her to number one in the world.
Kerber will take on Dominika Cibulkova for a spot in the round of 16 after the Slovakian beat Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-Wei 7-6 (7/3), 4-6, 6-4.
Hard-hitting Czech Petra Kvitova advanced to the third round, defeating China’s Yafan Wang 7-5 6-3 to keep her dream of winning a third Grand Slam title alive.
Murray falls – Page 21