A 29-year-old Aussie battler ranked 55th in the world has pulled off one of the greatest upsets in US Open history. Brisbane-born John Millman, unseeded and largely unheralded, defeated second-seed and all-time great Roger Federer in four sets a short time ago.
[jwplayer ufxzSg8Y]
Millman pulled off the historic upset over Federer in their fourth round matchup, 3-6 7-5 7-6 (9-7) 7-6 (7-3) to reach the quarter finals of the singles tournament, the first time in his entire career Millman has reached the final stages of a Grand Slam event.
Millman has been something of a journeyman throughout his career, but in recent months has tapped into a rich vein of form, catapulting him up the ATP rankings to a career-high mark of 52 in July of this year.
Following an injury interrupted campaign in 2017, Millman closed out the calendar year ranked 128th overall.
Before this year’s US Open, Millman had only ever progressed past the first round of a Grand Slam tournament on a handful of occasions, with his previous best efforts coming in third round exits at the 2016 Australian Open and 2016 Wimbledon.
Conversely, it had been five years since Roger Federer exited a US Open before the quarter final stages, last failing in the round of 16 at the 2013 tournament where he was bested by Spaniard Tommy Robrero.
Absolutely stunning upset as @johnhmillman defeats Federer 3-6, 7-5, 7-6, 7-6 under the lights in Arthur Ashe Stadium!
Millman’s first top ten victory lands him a spot in the QF against Djokovic…#USOpen pic.twitter.com/4DPEOJpJw7
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 4, 2018
Today’s gutsy win from Millman was dotted with uncharacteristic errors from Federer, who looked sluggish and disinterested through large stretches of the fourth set. Federer served 10 double faults and committed a frankly staggering 76 unforced errors throughout the match, which helped pave the way for easily the biggest win of Millman’s career.
The win serves as the first time Millman has defeated a top ten opponent, and not only helps him net the biggest pay day of his career, but will almost certainly propel him to a career-high ranking once the tournament is over.
For his troubles, John Millman – whose rabid fanbase are called Millminions for what it’s worth – now faces another huge task in sixth-seeded Novak Djokovic in his quarter final matchup.
Go get ’em, Johnno. Bloody go you good ass thing.
Score the latest Australian sports news in AFL, NRL, tennis, NBA, soccer and more with Pedestrian.
