By Richard Pagliaro | Saturday, March 23, 2019
Roger Federer withstood a tough test from gritty qualifier Radu Albot battling back for a 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 victory.
Photo credit: Lindsey Godwin/Miami Open
MIAMI—Playing catch-up for one set, Roger Federer applied timely forward thinking to advance at the Miami Open.
The three-time Miami Open champion withstood a tough test from gritty qualifier Radu Albot battling back for a 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 victory.
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"Margins are slim. Then you're down," Federer said. "When you're down, you got to play differently. At the end it's just about finding a way. These are the matches that are so key during the year for any player, is when you're not sometimes playing your best, when you're in search mode, that you find it somehow, you squeeze through, play better than the next round."
On a day in which the tournament lost world No. 1 Naomi Osaka—who fell in three sets to Su-Wei Hsieh—and eight-time champion Serena Williams, who withdrew with a knee injury, Federer’s spirited fight was important for both him and the tournament.
Federer closed the gap by pressing forward.
The 37-year-old Swiss won 24 of 32 trips to net and began forcing his Albot to produce passes under pressure.
Though Federer converted just two of eight break points, he served effectively pumping 14 aces against two double faults and hit nearly 20 more winners—38 to 19—than his opponent, but Albot turned this match into a dogfight from the start.
"Sometimes you feel like it happens always at the wrong times," Federer said. "You pull the trigger at the wrong times. You're going safe at the wrong times. That has something to do with how I thought he played his game. He seemed very clear to me, and I wasn't.
"In the heat of the moment, I started forgetting stuff also that my coach told me. I felt like all the important points, points that could have led to something interesting for me, I played poorly because I was in two minds."
Albot, who defeated Dan Evans to win his first ATP title in Delray Beach last month, showed no trace of nerves in his first meeting with the 20-time Grand Slam champion.
There’s a lot to like about the 29-year-old Albot’s game. He plays with passion, serves bigger than his size suggests, shows quickness around the court and can strike his forehand with accuracy even when pushed on the run.
"I expected a player with a great attitude, which he showed," Federer said. "Aggressive baseliner, moves well. He's not afraid to come to the net. The problem is I've never practiced with him. I've never really seen him play live matches. I watched some on a video to get an idea. I see where he can cause problems."
Playing his 18th career Miami Open, Federer is well aware what you don't know can hurt you. The combination of Albot's shot-making skill and unpredictability posed challenges throughout the match.
"The difficulty was, like, I didn't quite know where does he like to go exactly when it really matters the most," Federer said. "That's just so tricky, when you don't exactly know what his favorite shot is, is he going to play differently against you because it's you, because I don't have a double-handed backhand, maybe I have a different type of forehand on the run than others, I don't know.
"He plays it differently. Yeah, so I thought it was hard. I was impressed. I have a lot of respect for those types of players who don't have the size, have to find a different way to win. He's a great, great player. I was impressed."
Running around his backhand to zap diagonal forehands, Albot broke in the opening game of the match and did not look back streaking through the opening set.
Federer’s mint green Uniqlo shirt was streaked with sweat as the 46th-ranked Moldovan stayed in step throughout a tense second set that had the Swiss’ entire support team leaning forward in their court-side seats.
Pressing the attack, Federer finally broke in the last game of the second set working his way forward and knifing a fine backhand volley behind Albot to snatch the second set with a clenched fist.
Neither man could gain separation in the decider until the late stages.
Turning his shoulders, Federer flashed a backhand down the line that froze Albot. That shot sparked the lone break of the final set putting Federer up 5-3.
Federer served it out at 15 to advance to a third round meeting with Filip Krajinovic, who edged Stan Wawrinka, 5-7, 6-2, 7-6 (5).