Rafael Nadal dropped his first set of the US Open but avoided following Roger Federer out of the tournament as he fought back to defeat Philipp Kohlschreiber in the fourth round. Nadal and Kohlschreiber were in the first set of their clash when Tommy Robredo knocked Federer out in straight sets. Initially it looked like the much-anticipated quarter-final between Federer and Nadal may instead pit Robredo against Kohlschreiber when the German won the first set but Nadal ran out a 6-7 (4/7) 6-4 6-3 6-1 winner.
Federer could not fight back though and he suffered another shock early defeat at a Grand Slam as he crashed out to Robredo. Two months after he lost to Sergiy Stakhovsky in the second round at Wimbledon, Federer was beaten 7-6 (7/3) 6-3 6-4 by a man he had not lost to in 10 previous meetings. The defeat continues a miserable season for the 32-year-old from Switzerland, who has dropped from world number one to number seven in less than 12 months. It also means there will be no first meeting at Flushing Meadows between Federer and Nadal, who were seeded to meet in the quarter-finals.
Federer said: “I kind of feel like I beat myself, without taking any credit away from Tommy. Clearly he was making sure he was making many balls. It was up to me to make the difference and I couldn’t.
“I kind of self-destructed, which is very disappointing, especially on a quicker court. Your serve helps you out. You’re going to make the difference somewhere.
“I just couldn’t do it. It was a frustrating performance.”
