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Federer and Nadal ease through


 

Originally published on: 22/01/12 12:47

The 16-time Grand Slam champion made little work of his talented opponent in his 999th professional game, breaking Tomic six times on his way to a 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 victory. 

The Australian’s impressive tournament run has had tennis fans captivated, but an upset win against Federer proved a task too far for the 19-year old who came through three epic tussles, including two five setters, to reach the last 16. 

“Maybe the score suggested differently, but I thought we had a lot of long games, tough points, and I thought he did actually really well,” said the Swiss, who stretched his winning streak to 23 matches. 

“As the match went on, I started to understand when and how I wanted to do it. You know, then I was able to pull the trigger and I started to play really well as the match went on.”

The world No.3 will now face Argentine Juan Martin Del Potro, who beat Philipp Kohlschreiber in straight sets, in what will be Federer’s 31st consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinal appearance. 

Earlier in the day, Nadal saw off compatriot Feliciano Lopez 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 to reach his fourth Melbourne quarterfinal in five years without dropping a set. 

Lopez had no answers for Nadal’s relentless consistency, with the 18th seed firing 52 unforced errors in comparision to Nadal’s 14. 

“It was a very hot day and so it is positive for me to keep winning in straight sets, especially in these conditions,” Nadal said. “I did what I had to do to win in straight sets.”

Next up for Nadal is Tomas Berdych, who defeated Nicolas Almagro in a tight encounter, 4-6, 7-6, 7-6, 7-6. 

 

 

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Tim Farthing, Tennishead Editorial Director & Owner, has been a huge tennis fan his whole life. He's a tennis journalist and entrepreneur as well as playing tennis to a national standard. He also helps manage his local club and volunteers for his local tennis organisation. He's a specialist in content about the administration of professional tennis and tennis coaching for all levels.