Giles Simon Ousts David Ferrer in First Major Men's Upset of US Open
Every day of the first week of the United States Open seemed to bring another loss for a high-seeded woman. Entering the fourth round, five of the top 10 seeds were out of the tournament while the 121st- and 145th-ranked players remained. The men's tournament, meanwhile, motored along with hardly a blip.
That ended Sunday when 26th-seeded Gilles Simon ousted fourth-seeded David Ferrer, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1, 6-3, in the third round, becoming the first man at this U.S. Open to send a top-10 seed home.
Simon had beaten Ferrer only once in six previous meetings, and as Simon said, Ferrer 'destroyed' him in the other matches, with Simon failing to win a set in any of his losses. He had also lost 11 of his last 12 matches against top-10 players.
The players' tournament histories, too, seemed stacked against Simon, who had reached the fourth round at the Open only once; Ferrer is a two-time semifinalist.
But the numbers that mattered Sunday were Ferrer's 52 unforced errors, to Simon's 30, and Simon's conversion of 7 of 9 break points. Ferrer converted only 2 of 11.
With Simon serving for the match at 5-3, Ferrer saved two match points and got a break point of his own, but again he could not convert. Simon closed out the match on his third chance.
'I felt I had nothing to lose,' said Simon, a 29-year-old Frenchman. 'I just wanted to enjoy myself on the court.'
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