Kevin Anderson is the top seed this week at the New York Open for only the fifth time in his 12-year career. But on Thursday on Long Island, the South African played like a man used to the pressure that comes with having a No. 1 next to your name.

Mired in a three-set fight against Ernesto Escobedo of the U.S., Anderson didn’t move an millimetre in the decider. He won 94 per cent of his service points in the decider (29/31) and pulled through in the tie-break to advance to the quarter-finals 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(5).

It was their first tour-level meeting, but Escobedo, who, at No. 131, is ranked 110 spots lower than No. 11 Anderson, impressed the 2017 US Open finalist with his big hitting.

“He was really going after it. He was serving huge out there. He was ripping balls from the baseline. Sometimes tennis like that just comes down to one or two points,” Anderson said.

The 31-year-old is seeking his second ATP World Tour final of the year (Pune during week one) and his first ATP World Tour title since 2015 Winston-Salem Open. He will next face #NextGenATP American Frances Tiafoe, who made his first ATP World Tour quarter-final by beating Israeli Dudi Sela 6-4, 3-6, 6-0.

Tiafoe also lifted his game in the final set. The 20-year-old from Maryland faced seven break points in the second set, but in the decider, Sela didn’t see one.

“I feel really rejuvenated and am playing some tennis again in a great headspace, which is most important,” Tiafoe said.

Second seed Sam Querrey struck 13 aces and saved all three break points to breeze past Russian Mikhail Youzhny 6-4, 6-3. Querrey will meet another big server in the last eight when he faces Croatian Ivo Karlovic, who hit 16 aces during a 6-4, 6-4 win against sixth seed Ryan Harrison of the U.S.

Gael Monfils might have to come back to South America for the “Golden Swing” in future years. The Frenchman, who played his first ATP World Tour match on the continent last week in Quito, won another match during the clay-court swing on Thursday, beating Serbia’s Dusan Lajovic 6-4, 6-3 at the Argentina Open in Buenos Aires.

Monfils’ return game carried him. The Frenchman won 52 per cent of the points that started on Lajovic’s racquet (36/69), almost a higher percentage than Monfils won on his own serve, 56 per cent (37/66).

He will next meet Argentina’s Leonardo Mayer, who saved two of three break points to upset fourth seed Fabio Fognini 6-3, 6-3. Guillermo Garcia-Lopez also participated in the upset party, stunning second-seeded countryman Pablo Carreno Busta 7-6(5), 1-6, 7-6(6).

Carreno Busta reached the semi-finals in Buenos Aires last year. Garcia-Lopez will next play Argentine Federico Delbonis, who prevailed past Portugal’s Gastao Elias 7-6(5), 7-6(6) in two hours and 19 minutes.

DID YOU KNOW?
The last Argentine to win the title in Buenos Aires was David Nalbandian in 2008.

Roger Federer’s seemingly routine pathway to reclaim the No. 1 ATP Ranking at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament got a little more challenging than expected Thursday night in Rotterdam.

Before his second-round clash with Philipp Kohlschreiber, Federer’s two-step process seemed straight forward: Extend his perfect record against Kohlschreiber to 13-0 and then take down either Robin Haase or fellow Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor in Friday’s quarter-finals.

But Federer had to fight off two set points in the first-set tie-break and endure a competitive second set to beat Kohlschreiber 7-6(8), 7-5 in one hour and 42 minutes.

“It was extremely complicated tonight,” Federer said. “I couldn’t find my range or my rhythm. I think Philipp did that to me; it was a struggle. Today when the score was close, I couldn’t release my shots. So it was a battle… It was quite the relief at the end.”

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Federer admitted to thinking at 4/6 in the first-set tie-break that he would need three sets to keep alive his No. 1 hopes. “I was preparing for the second set, being down one set. I don’t care how positive a person you are. You just see negativity flying all around you, I am down 4/6, I messed up, I should have done this, I should have done that. I’m at the mercy of my opponent. It’s a bad feeling, but when you do come back and snatch the set, it’s such a key moment in the match and I was able to utilise that.”

The Swiss superstar must now defeat Dutchman Robin Haase, who beat Griekspoor 6-4, 6-0 in the final match of the day, to return to the summit of men’s professional tennis for the first time in more than five years and become the oldest player to rank No. 1.

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On the only break point of the first set, a set point for Federer, with Kohlschreiber serving at 5-6, 30/40, the Swiss missed a passing shot. Kohlschreiber grew in confidence taking a 5/2 lead in the tie-break, and held two set point opportunities at 6/4 – including one on his serve. However, Federer regrouped with set point chances at 7/6, 8/7 and 9/8, finally converting his fourth chance with a crosscourt forehand winner.

Kohlschreiber fought off three break points at 1-1, but at 5-5 the German hit the first double fault of the match to hand Federer another break point. Kohlschreiber responded in aggressive fashion, punching away a volley to get back to deuce. But the pressure began to tell. A second double fault gave Federer the crucial break.

Federer captured his 20th Grand Slam championship crown at last month’s Australian Open (d. Cilic) for the 96th tour-level trophy of his career.

Did You Know?
If Federer wins Friday’s quarter-final to guarantee his return to World No. 1, Monday will mark more than 14 years since the Swiss first claimed the top ATP Ranking on 2 February, 2004. He would also become the oldest No. 1 at 36 (topping 33-year-old Andre Agassi) and set a record for the most time elapsed (more than five years) to return to No. 1 since the last time he held top spot (4 October, 2012).

Grigor Dimitrov advanced to the quarter-finals of the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament with a 7-6(4), 7-5 win over Filip Krajinovic on Thursday. 

Dimitrov, seeded second in Rotterdam, was under pressure throughout the one hour, 43 minute match. The Bulgarian saved four break points in the opening set before capitalising on a double fault by Krajinovic at 5-4 in the tie-break. Dimitrov clinched the set a point later.

Krajinovic’s serve held up well again in the second until the 11th game of the set, when the Serbian fell behind 0/40. Dimitrov broke at 30/40, then closed out the match the next game. Dimitrov’s power factored into the outcome. The ATP World Tour No.5 hit 33 winners to Krajinovic’s 20. Dimitrov also fired 13 aces. 

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Dimitrov will play Andrey Rublev for a spot in the semi-finals. Rublev overcame a shaky start to defeat Damir Dzumhur 6-4, 7-6(4) earlier in the day. 

The Russian, now 4-0 against Dzumhur in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series, expected a tough test and got one. Rublev dropped his serve twice in the opening set before battling back to book his place in the quarter-finals.

“It was a really close match,” Rublev said. “Damir is the kind of player that you need to fight every point of every rally. He gets every ball back. I expected this kind of match, with lots of breaks and long rallies. He’s really tough.”

In a match between qualifiers, Daniil Medvedev came from a set down to defeat Pierre-Hugues Herbert 3-6, 7-6(2), 6-4. The Russian will play Andreas Seppi on Friday.