Friday, 20 January 2012

Federer Marches on Down Under


Ivo Karlovic's booming serves weren't enough to stop world No.3 Roger Federer from progressing to the fourth round with a 7-6, 7-5, 6-3 win.

It was the 11th meeting between the two and Karlovic was seeking just his second victory over the Swiss, but Federer was in no such generous mood, taking the straight sets win in two hours and 17 minutes.

Federer stayed with the giant Croatian through the first set as strong serving dominated the play. In the inevitable tiebreak Federer managed to save a set point in an intense rally before claiming the set himself two points later.

The third-seed managed the first break of the match late in the second set and claimed it 7-5 to take a 2-0 advantage.

He was even more convincing in the third set, breaking Karlovic's serve again and claiming his place in the fourth round on Sunday. Federer finished with 55 winners and just 13 unforced errors.