By DPA
New York : Roger Federer cracked down at the first hint of trouble to see off tall, American danger-man John Isner, while women’s defending champion Maria Sharapova fell victim to Polish spoiler Agnieszka Radwanska in the US Open tennis.
Top seed Federer, bidding for a fourth consecutive title at the last Grand Slam event of the season, Saturday tamed the huge serve of US university star John Isner 6-7 (4-7), 6-2, 6-4, 6-2.
The Swiss world number one schooled the 22-year-old after losing the first set, dominating from that point onward.
“I was extremely happy with my reaction on the second set because the crowd was getting into it,” said the winner of 11 Grand Slam events. “Losing the first set, it was a hard blow.”
Isner now stands 0-2 against elite players after losing the Washington final last month against Andy Roddick, a 6-2, 6-2, 6-0 winner Saturday night over Swede Thomas Johansson.
Federer won his 23rd match at the US Open, where he was last beaten in 2003. The top seed dominated after the first set, with errors piling up as fast as aces for the youngster, who struck 18.
“The feeling of beating Roger Federer in a set, sitting down it was crazy,” said Isner, who stands 6-foot 8-inches in his socks.
“I knew he was going step his game up. That’s what he does every time he loses a set. He rarely loses two in a row. I knew I had to somehow keep it up for two more sets and unfortunately I couldn’t do it.”
Federer turned the screws after sealing the third set with an ace and breaking to start the fourth. The Swiss reached 4-1 as Isner’s game faded.
“I was ready for a good player from the baseline as well,” Federer said. “I will probably never be surprised on a tennis court because I don’t underestimate opponents any more.”
Sharapova was puzzling over the sudden disappearance of her form in a third-round upset at the hands of inspired Polish teenager Radwanska 6-4, 1-6, 6-2.
Two other Russian seeds took up the slack, with 2004 winner Svetlana Kuznetsova beating Anabel Medina Garrigues 6-3, 6-1 and number six Anna Chakvetadze ousting Indian Sania Mirza 6-2, 6-3.
The 32nd-ranked underdog Radwanska exploded into action to reverse a run of eight consecutive losing games in the second and third sets to leave the Russian in the lurch.
“It (my game) just wasn’t there,” admitted the winner of two Grand Slam events. Sharapova will end the season without a title at any of the four Grand Slam competitions after losing for only the fourth time in New York.
“You always try to find a way. Even though I won a lot of consecutive games, even though I was up a break, I just didn’t feel it.
“I don’t know if it was a combination of the circumstance or the wind or the opponent playing well. I don’t know what it was. I just didn’t quite feel like me out there.”
A trio of fast-rising teenaged tyros followed Radwanska into the second week.
Tamira Paszek, 17, put out Swiss 11th seed Patty Schnyder 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-1) in a battle between the youngest and oldest players remaining in the draw.
The 18-year-old Hungarian Agnes Szavay, a finalist one week ago, beat Russian seventh seed Nadia Petrova 6-4, 6-4, while Victoria Azarenka, also 18, from Belarus, stopped 1997 champion Martina Hingis in a comeback 3-6, 6-1, 6-0.
Former prodigy Hingis was not surprised by the turn of events, which saw four seeds eliminated from the bottom of the draw.
“You can see the new generation coming up,” said the 26-year-old. “They’re very dangerous. I knew it’s not going to be easy. My mom texted me. She said, ‘Watch out. I was awake.'”
Three more men’s seed moved through, with Russian number four Nikolay Davydenko leading off with a 7-5, 6-0, 7-5 win over Nicolas Almagro.
The 2003 winner Roddick, seeded fifth, beat Johansson in a battle of former Grand Slam title holders.
“Just the way I was playing was nice,” Roddick said. “I came off the court happy.”
Czech number nine Tomas Berdych put out Spaniard Fernando Verdasco 7-6 (7-2), 6-1, 7-6 (7-3), while Germany’s Tommy Haas stopped Sebastien Grosjean 6-2, 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 6-3.