Playfully, Thiago Alves called for a replay review.
So the man trying for his fifth straight U.S. Open title and an overmatched qualifier shared a laugh, watching together as the giant scoreboards above Arthur Ashe Stadium confirmed the call: The ball landed squarely on the line, Federer had won 6-3, 7-5, 6-4 Friday.
Federer swept a guy ranked 137th, someone who spent this year in the minors and was playing his first tour-level event of the season. Still, it was hardly a breeze.
“The depth in men’s tennis is immense,” Federer said.
Novak Djokovic, and Nikolay Davydenko also advanced. The night session featured Andy Roddick, along with No. 23 Lindsay Davenport taking on No. 12 Marion Bartoli.
Federer is down to his last chance to win a Grand Slam this year, part of a tough season that saw him lose his No. 1 ranking to Rafael Nadal.
Though they well could meet in this final, Federer has not tracked his nemesis through the tournament and didn’t watch Nadal wrap up his match Thursday night in straight sets.
“I schedule my life around my life, not his,” Federer said, smiling. “I was expecting five sets. I was there for four and five, but he wasn’t there anymore.”
To Alves, Federer remains on top.
“He is the biggest player for sure. Nadal is playing good tennis this year, but for me Federer is the best one,” he said.
And did Federer seem vulnerable?
“No. I didn’t feel that,” Alves said.
Never a huge fan of replay, Federer hardly minded when Alves made that last challenge.
“I don’t think it’s affected a whole lot of matches. I don’t know how many times it’s saved a match, because that’s what it’s there for really. But at the big tournaments at the big courts, usually you have the best linespeople as well,” Federer said.
“The worst linespeople are usually on the outside courts where you need it more. That’s the problem with the system,” he said.
Third-seeded Djokovic beat Robert Kendrick 7-6 (8), 6-4, 6-4 and fifth-seeded Davydenko beat Agustin Calleri 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (2). Fifth-seeded Dementieva beat Anne Keothavong 6-3, 6-4.
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