By DPA
New York : Roger Federer won 36 of his last 37 points on serve to set up a quarter-final meeting with American Andy Roddick at the US Open tennis here.
The Swiss took a set to get acclimatised Monday before producing his fifth win without a loss against Spain’s Feliciano Lopez 3-6, 6-4, 6-1, 6-4.
The top seed, bidding for a fourth-straight US Open title, won 10 service games on love after trailing 0-40 in the first game of the third set.
The world number one extended his Flushing Meadows wins to 24 matches.
“He was playing fantastic in the first two sets,” said Federer, the winner of 11 Grand Slam titles. “I had to struggle. He was dictating and serving unbelievable. But I played great at the end.”
Federer, who holds 50 career ATP titles, last lost to Roddick in the summer of 2003 and has won their last 10 meetings, including last year’s New York final.
“My 13-1 record doesn’t help much,” said the Swiss. “He always plays tough at the Open. Many of the battles went my way, but anything is possible.”
Roddick went back out for practice on the Labour Day holiday, while compatriot James Blake was beaten by charged-up German Tommy Haas.
Fifth-seeded Roddick advanced as Czech Tomas Berdych withdrew with breathing problems while trailing 7-6 (8-6), 2-0 after twice taking a consultation from the tournament doctor and trainer.
“Unfortunately for Tomas, that’s not the way you want to go out, but there’s not much I can do about it,” said Roddick, whose lone Grand Slam title came in the 2003 US Open.
The American hit the practice court for an hour under supervision of coach Jimmy Connors after his victory.
Germany’s Haas saved three match points, then held his nerve to reach the quarter-finals for a third time over Blake 4-6, 6-4, 3-6, 6-0, 7-6 (7-4).
The three-hour, 15-minute struggle was long on drama with the final two points being challenged on the Hawk-eye electronic line-calling system.
The 10th-seeded German advanced to the last eight as his 17th ace was ruled good by a few centimetres.
“The whole fifth set was very dramatic,” said Haas, now fully recovered from a shoulder injury. “I think we both played unbelievable tennis. It was a thriller in the fifth.”
The German went up a break in the final set 4-2, then lost his edge as Blake, playing for the first time in daylight after two midnight finishes, rallied to level at 4-4.
Haas saved the three match points in the tense 10th game, escaping as Blake fired a double-fault that got the German out of jail.
Haas took it into a tiebreaker, reaching 5-3 in the decider on another Blake service error and then closed it out with the ace ruled a winner.
“Every time he had match point, … I came up with a good first serve,” Haas said. “That saved me, too.”
Svetlana Kuznetsova kept name recognition alive in a star-shy women’s bottom half of the draw as she struck a blow for the “old guard” with a 6-2, 6-3 defeat over Victoria Azarenka.
“I’m feeling like I’m getting better every match,” Kuznetsova said. “This is very important for me. … I’m very confident about my game and looking forward to my next match.”
The Russian, who lifted the 2004 title at Flushing Meadows, stands out amid the depleted field, where four teenaged talents entered the battle for quarter-final spots.
Among seeds eliminated during the first week were Maria Sharapova, Nicole Vaidisova, Martina Hingis and Nadia Petrova.
Kuznetsova next faces Hungarian Agnes Szavay, who put out Julia Vakulenko of the Ukraine 6-4, 7-6 (7-1).
Considered a veteran at age 22, Kuznetsova is one of four former champions in the draw, Serena and Venus Williams and Justine Henin being the other three.
Russian sixth seed Anna Chakvetadze joined in with a win over teenaged Austrian Tamira Paszek 6-1, 7-5.