Unlike the selfie-seeking court invader of Sunday, Roger Federer welcomed an AC/DC legend watching him march into the French Open third round at Roland Garros.
Angus Young, the guitarist of the veteran Australian rock band, was among the spectators to lap up Federer’s 6-2 7-6 (7-1) 6-3 defeat Spaniard Marcel Granollers on a sun-drenched Court Suzanne Lenglen on Wednesday.
“I have seen them twice in concert. Once when I was 15 and I even met him,” the second-seeded one-man band beamed after teeing up a date on Friday with Bosnian Damir Dzumhur.
“I still had long hair at the time. I don’t know if he remembers. It is a real pleasure to see him here.”
Federer wasn’t so pleased that Rafael Nadal, one of his chief rivals for the title, was allowed to pick and choose his umpires in Paris.
Nadal admitted on Tuesday that he’d demanded that Carlos Bernandes be banned from officiating at his matches after falling out with the respected Brazilian umpire after he issued the nine-times French Open champion a code violation earlier this year for exceeding the 25 seconds between points.
“I think everybody should be treated the same way,” Federer said.
“It goes back to the same thing that everybody is requesting things when they want to play.
“The players understand that not every request can be granted.”
Federer led a cast of big guns from the bottom half of the draw into the last 32 on day four of the claycourt major.
Fourth seed Tomas Berdych eliminated Czech compatriot Radek Stepanek 6-3 6-7 (7-9) 6-3 6-3 and next plays Frenchman Benoit Paire, who landed the upset of the day.
Paire ousted 28th seed Fabio Fognini, the Italian who had the rare distinction this year of defeating Nadal twice on clay, 6-1 6-3 7-5.
Japanese fifth seed Kei Nishikori eased past Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci 7-5 6-4 6-4 to set up a meeting with German veteran Benjamin Becker, who edged out Spain’s 32nd seed Fernando Verdasco 6-4 0-6 1-6 7-5 10-8.
Swiss eighth seed Stan Wawrinka removed Serbian Dusan Lajovic 6-3 6-4 5-7 6-3 and faces American Steve Johnson on Friday.
Four other Frenchman joined Paire in the last 32 on a memorable day for the locals.
Gilles Simon, seeded 12th, dismissed Slovakian Martin Klizan 7-5 6-2 6-3, while Gael Monfils, a former semi-finalist and seeded 13th this year, overcame Argentine Diego Schwartzman 4-6 6-4 4-6 6-2 6-3.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, another one-time semi-finalist who is seeded 14th, routed Israeli Dudi Sela 6-4 6-1 6-1 and wildcard Nicolas Mahut upset last year’s semi-finalist Ernests Gulbis, the 24th seed, 6-3 3-6 7-5 6-3.
