Federer, balik ang bangis sa Miami

KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. (AP) — Sinalubong ng magarbong palakpakan si Roger Federer. At sinuklian ng 18-time major champion ang malugod na pagtanggap ng crowd sa impresibong panalo.

Dinomina ni Federer si Juan Martin del Potro, 6-3, 6-4, nitong Lunes (Martes sa Manila) upang umusad sa fourth round ng Miami Open.

Ito ang unang pagkakataon na nakaharap ni Federer, halos isang taong nagpahinga bunsod ng injury, si del Potro mula noong 2013 at hindi man lamang natalo sa service play para sa 15-1 karta ngayong season.

“I feel like I earned it more,” sambit ni Federer, back-to-back champion dito (2005-06). “I was more the aggressor. It was more my racket, and I like it that way.”

Sunod na makakasagupa ni Federer si 14th-seeded Roberto Bautista Agut, nakalusot kontra Sam Querrey sa straight set, sa Martes (Miyerkules sa Manila).

Ang iba pang third-round men’s winner ay sina top-seeded Stan Wawrinka, eighth-seeded David Goffin, 10th-seeded Tomas Berdych, 12th-seeded Nick Kyrgios, 16th-seeded Alexander Zverev at unseeded Adrian Mannarino.

Umusad naman si topseeded Angelique Kerber sa women’s quarterfinals nang gapiin si Risa Ozaki 6-2, 6-2. Sunod niyang makakaharap si 11th-seeded Venus Williams, nagwagi kontra seventh-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova, 6-3, 7-6 (4) sa matchup ng dating Miami Open champions.

Sasabak din sa quarterfinals si Caroline Wozniacki matapos gapiin si Garbine Muguruza, 7-6 (1) retired.

“Happy to be in the quarters. I feel like I’m playing well,” pahayag ni Wozniacki.