Flawed but Still Victorious, Federer Rouses Crowd

FLUSHING MEADOWS, N.Y., Sept. 2 -- For all the beauty of his strokes and the elegance of his movement, Roger Federer has never been passionately embraced by crowds at the U.S. Open.

New Yorkers, after all, reserve their greatest accolades for performers who open a vein on stage as they rail against the odds.

On Tuesday, the four-time defending U.S. Open champion did just that. Instead of perfection, Federer gave them flaws. Instead of impeccable manners, he gave them anguish.

It was a totally uncharacteristic performance from the once sublime Swiss star, sullied by ghastly forehands, flubbed overheads and howls of frustration. And the crowd loved him for it, rewarding Federer with a standing ovation after his tortuous five-set defeat of Igor Andreev of Russia -- hardly the sort of player expected to rattle the champion's poise.

With the 6-7 (7-5), 7-6 (7-5), 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 victory, Federer advances to the U.S. Open's quarterfinal. But given the way he celebrated after the 3-hour 32-minute ordeal, bellowing and double-pumping both fists as if he'd just slain a dragon, it seemed as if Federer had just won the tournament outright.

Federer wasn't the only high seed to struggle on a glorious afternoon. Third-seeded Novak Djokovic, a U.S. Open finalist in 2007, also needed five sets to advance to the quarterfinals. It took nearly four hours and two interventions by a physical therapist for the Serbian to oust Spain's Tommy Robredo, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3, 5-7, 6-3.

Djokovic's list of ailments included a sore right hip, labored breathing, a rolled right ankle and an upset stomach. And his injury timeouts irked his opponent, who came up limping after taking an ugly spill of his own while lunging at a ball.

"I have pain, as well," said Robredo, 26. "I was running like hell and my feet were burning, but I say nothing, no? But after every time he was asking for a training, he was running like hell and he was making the shot."

The only man who had an easy time Tuesday was American Andy Roddick, who mauled Fernando González of Chile in a lopsided battle of power hitters. Roddick blasted his way to the 6-2, 6-4, 6-1 victory in just 87 minutes, short-changing fans who had paid dearly for a full evening of tennis.

But if he felt remorse, it was overshadowed by his satisfaction over a match well played. Roddick has been playing fearless tennis here, and his risks are playing off. He ripped 30 winners past González while committing just seven unforced errors. He fired eight aces, including one at 141 mph. And he closed the second set with a cross-court passing shot off his notoriously weak backhand side.

"I'm just so happy to be playing good tennis here in New York under the lights," Roddick told the crowd, which included U.S. Davis Cup captain Patrick McEnroe, whom he retained as a personal coach on the eve of the tournament.

His next hurdle is Djokovic.