Roger Federer rolled over his second straight Spanish opponent with a no-nonsense 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 defeat of Roberto Bautista Agut to reach the quarter-finals of the US Open on Tuesday.
The Swiss second seed now faces a challenge from unseeded Frenchman Gael Monfils, who knocked out seventh seed Grigor Dimitrov 6-4, 7-6 (8-6), 7-5.
The win extended Federer’s streak under the lights in Arthur Asche Stadium to 25-1, as the 33-year-old moved into fifth on the all-time New York win list with 71 victories at the tournament, tied with Pete Sampras and Bill Tilden in fifth place.
Federer reached his 10th quarter-final at Flushing Meadows in the last 11 years. He is 53-9 on the season as he bids for a sixth title at the event.
Federer has beaten Monfils in seven of their nine matches, winning their last match a fortnight ago in Cincinnati.
“The wind kept coming and going, we had to adjust,” Federer said of the conditions on Tuesday night in New York. “I’m always happy to get through these kind of matches.
I’d never played him before. He is tough and I’m happy I was able to control the match. I love night sessions, I’ll never say no to playing one. They are very special here in New York.
“I love night sessions, I’ll never say no to playing one,” said the 17-time Grand Slam winner, who beat Bautista Agut in less than two hours. “They are very special here in New York.”
Federer expects another challenge from the flashy Monfils on Thursday.
“He’s playing good tennis,” Federer said. “I’m expecting some retrieving from him and some attacking from me when we meet.”
At the top of the draw, Marin Cilic spent more than four hours in taking out Gilles Simon of France 5-7, 7-6 (7-3), 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 with 23 aces and 70 winners.
The Croatian will play his third New York quarter-final when he faces Tomas Berdych. The Czech sixth seed crushed Dominic Thiem 6-1, 6-2, 6-4.
Berdych said that recovering from 0-40 in the first game of the match gave him a lift which he carried throughout the 98-minute win.
“Every match counts and every win is very important. I’m very happy with today. I got a huge boost from my early comeback,” he said.
In women’s play, China’s Peng Shuai earned an emotional win to reach her first Grand Slam semi-final as she trounced Swiss teenage prodigy Belinda Bencic 6-2, 6-1.
Peng, 28, came close to tears after winning in 64 minutes.
“This is an amazing time for me,” Peng said. “I’m too excited.” “I love to play tennis but it can be so tough. I’ve thought before of giving up, I didn’t know if I could make it or not,” she added.
Peng advanced with 24 winners and five aces, breaking Bencic on four of five chances. The disappointed Swiss, coached by Melanie Molitor, the mother of Martina Hingis, ended with 19 unforced errors.
Peng was the third Chinese player to compete in a Grand Slam quarter-final after Li Na and Zheng Jie.
