As Federer and fellow big guns Novak Djokovic, Caroline Wozniacki and Serena Williams advanced in routine fashion, attention turned to the highly unusual number of matches curtailed because of injury and illness.
The almost simultaneous retirements of men's seeds Marcel Granollers (abdominal muscle strain) and Thomas Berdych (shoulder) broke the previous open-era record of 12, set at Wimbledon in 2008.
Granollers quit when 6-1 4-3 down to fellow Spaniard Juan Carlos Ferrero, while No.9 seed Berdych pulled the pin when he trailed Serb Janko Tipsarevic 6-4 5-0.
Speaking after he won 6-3 4-6 6-4 6-2 against Marin Cilic, Federer was disappointed by the trend.
"Could some guys finish the matches?" he asked.
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"For me, it is shocking to see so many retirements.
"For me, it doesn't matter how bad I'm feeling, I will be out there and giving it a try because you never know what's going to happen."
"Look, every player feels different. It's unfortunate it happens for the fans, I guess."
Venus Williams and Robin Soderling are others who have retired.
Maria Sharapova is the only genuine crowd-puller to exit fair and square thus far.
For a brief instant at Arthur Ashe Stadium, Federer looked as if he might join her as Cilic won the second set of their high-quality third-round match.
The Croat, who defeated Australia's Bernard Tomic in just 82 minutes in the second round, then broke Federer's first service game of the third set.
But the Swiss master served impeccably from there on, before running Cilic's 198cm frame ragged in the New York heat.
In the men's draw, top seed Novak Djokovic benefitted in the first round when Irish qualifier Conor Niland retired through illness in the second set.
Defending champion Rafael Nadal reached the third round when French opponent Nicolas Mahut quit after two sets with a stomach strain.
In other overnight matches, 11th seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France beat Spain's 19th seed Fernando Verdasco 6-3 7-5 6-4 while Argentine Juan Monaco downed Tommy Haas 6-7(3) 6-3 6-2 6-3.
Local hope Mardy Fish saw off South African challenger Kevin Anderson (RSA) 6-4 7-6(4) 7-6(3) and Alexandr Dolgopolov accounted for Ivo Karlovic 6-7(4) 6-2 6-4 6-4.
Djokovic trounced Nikolay Davydenko 6-3 6-4 6-2 in the last match of the day.
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