New York: Frenchman Gilles Simon delivered the first big surprise in the men's draw at the US Open, taking down fourth seed David Ferrer of Spain 6-3 3-6 6-1 6-3 to move into the fourth round on a sweltering Sunday at Flushing Meadows.
With the loss Ferrer earned the dubious distinction of becoming the first top 10 men's seed to be shown the exit while Simon moves on to face either big serving Croatian Marin Cilic or South African Kevin Anderson who clash later on Sunday.
A well-rested Ferrer, who reached the third round in a walkover after Australian Bernard Tomic withdrew with a hip injury, got off to a sluggish start but fought back to take the second.
But by the end of the nearly three-hour clash a distressed Ferrer was hunched over the courtside timing board between points dripping in sweat with the 26th seeded Simon finishing off the exhausted Spaniard on his third match point.
"David is always fighting until the end," said Simon, after earning just his second win in seven meetings with Ferrer. "We were 5-1 he destroyed me five times. I just stayed relax today and had nothing to lose.
"I had a good start and then you know how it is."
Comments
0 comment