Shanghai Threats for Roger Federer

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Security for the Shanghai Masters is being tightened after an online death threat against tennis legend Roger Federer.

Shanghai's Youth Daily quoted tournament official Yang Yibin as saying police were notified about the threat and that security will be increased for Federer for the tournament, which starts this weekend.

The report says the threat, posted last month on a Federer fan site by 'Blue Cat Polytheism Founder 07', vowed to assassinate the Swiss. It was accompanied by a gruesome image of a decapitated Federer.

An officer in the Internet security office of the Shanghai police on Friday said the threat is being investigated.

In a statement, the tournament said it is aware of the threat and has proper security in place.

'We are fully aware of the comments that have been made and we take all such issues seriously,' the statement said.

'The Shanghai Masters has security in place for our players and every precaution is taken to make sure players are kept safe and comfortable and allowed to do the job they are here for; to play tennis and provide their fans with the thrill of watching them in action.'

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Rival Federer Fears for Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal's rivals have expressed their concerns over the Spaniard's long-term fitness after he was forced to pull out of the US Open with the knee injury that has sidelined him since Wimbledon.

The world No 2, who completed his set of grand slams by winning in New York in 2010, was forced to miss the Olympics and the Masters Series events in Toronto and Cincinnati with the injury, and is still not ready to compete due to tendinitis in his left knee.

Nadal reached the final of the US Open last year but his long-term rival Roger Federer says he was not surprised by the decision to pull out this time around.

"It's not a surprise because I wrote to him and he told me it wasn't looking good at all," said Federer. "But obviously when it's official it's disappointing for tennis, there's no doubt about it.

"I would love to have him in the draw. With 12 days before the Open you figure he might still have time to fix what he has to fix to get ready.

"If he pulls out that early before the Open, it must be something serious. That's what is sort of scary. There is obviously the whole debate going on if he is going come back for this year.

"I hope in hindsight this is a very smart decision by him. But it's obviously a big blow and disappointing news for the tennis world."

Federer's sentiments were echoed by world No 2 Novak Djokovic and Olympic gold medallist Andy Murray.

"He's a great competitor, somebody I know really well on and off the court," Djokovic said.

"I'm sure that if he was able to perform in US Open he would come. So I wish him a quick recovery."

Murray, who has recently been dealing with his own knee problem, was equally sympathetic.

"I'm disappointed for him, it's obviously tough. He's had trouble with his knees in the past. So I hope he can rest, doesn't come back too early, and gets them fixed so he can get back to playing his best tennis."

The US Open begins at Flushing Meadows on August 27.

Federer Reaches Wimbledon Final

Roger Federer was in sparkling form as he beat world number one Novak Djokovic in four sets to reach the Wimbledon final.

Federer is looking to secure a seventh title at the All England Club this year and is now hot favourite to do so after clinching a deserved 6-3 3-6 6-4 6-3 success over Djokovic.

Defending champion Djokovic appeared to be finding his form as he levelled the match after dropping the opening set, but Federer moved up a gear to pull away and seal a record eighth final appearance at the tournament.

Federer drew first blood as he secured the solitary break of the first set to move ahead - the decisive moment coming in the sixth game after a cagey start from both players.

There had seemed to be little danger for Djokovic when he went 30-0 up but, when that became 30-30, Federer decided to chance his arm. He pounded a forehand to the corner which Djokovic netted for break point and, sensing a chance, he then fizzed a backhand that Djokovic could not return, slipping as he patted it into the net.

He then backed up the break with two routine holds, sending down three aces in the process as he wrapped the set up in 24 minutes.

After appearing somewhat inhibited during the opener, Djokovic burst into life at the start of the second and quickly gained the upper hand with a break in the second game.

Federer helped him rack up three break points with an uncharacteristic mishit forehand and the Serb took the second of them when his opponent meekly netted.

A booming serving game to love that saw Djokovic drive to the net and put Federer under pressure on more than one occasion pushed him out to 3-0.

The Swiss could do little to stem the tide, his only half-chance coming when he patted a second serve from Djokovic into the net at 0-15 in the seventh game.

Djokovic saw out the set in convincing fashion after that, the champion serving out to love to take it 6-3.

But, having fended off a break-point in his first service game of the third set, Djokovic then gifted Federer another opportunity with a double-fault when 30-30 at 2-3.

Djokovic survived when his opponent put a forehand wide following a quite superb rally of 23 strokes and would go on to hold, but only after a dramatic game that featured four deuces.

Next it was Federer's turn to offer up a break-point as he fired an off-forehand well wide, but he too recovered and then made a decisive move in the tenth game.

A sumptuous forehand winner from the Swiss put him 0-30 up and, after Djokovic put a regulation smash long to bring up two set points, Federer showed him how it was done as he took the second with a clinical overhead of his own.

With the momentum now very much on his side, Federer quickly made the breakthrough in the fourth after Djokovic fell 0-40 behind in his opening service game.

The Serb saved the first with a searing forehand up the line, but missed the target when going for a similar shot on the next point and quickly found himself 3-0 down as Federer confirmed the break with an emphatic hold.

At 1-4 down Djokovic showed his famed fighting spirit as he battled back from 0-40 to hold and keep himself in the match, but it proved to be merely a stay of execution.

There were a few signs of nerves from Federer as he served for the match at 5-3 with Djokovic pegging him back to 30-30, but two solid first-serves got the job done, his rival netting the second to confirm victory.

Benneteau Nearly Rocks Federer Boat

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Six-time champion Roger Federer had to come from two sets down against Julien Benneteau before booking his place in the fourth round of Wimbledon.

The Swiss had to dig deep in a keenly-fought contest before edging past the Frenchman 4-6 6-7 6-2 7-6 6-1.

Just 24 hours after Rafael Nadal had so sensationally been sent crashing by Lukas Rosol, the Centre Court crowd were treated to another nail-biter with the world number three seemingly on his way out as well.

But, on a court he has made his own, Federer gradually turned the screw and after edging a fourth set tie-break 8-6 he cruised through the decider with Benneteau hampered by a knee injury.

With the roof in place once again it had looked as though five sets would not be needed when Benneteau pulled ahead, taking the opener when he broke in the ninth - Federer netting a backhand.

The Swiss responded by taking his opponent's serve at the start of the second but uncharacteristically failed to cement the break, losing his own serve in the very next game.

Displaying a brilliant range of winners on both sides, Benneteau was creating the better chances and he had break opportunities in both the seventh and ninth games, Federer getting himself out of trouble with his serve.

The Frenchman was the next to rely on his serve to swerve danger, seeing off three set points in the 12th game and, no doubt buoyed by his escape, rushed to a tie-break win, never looking back after Federer's long forehand offered up a mini break on the first point.

Out of keeping with the match at that point, the third set was a brisk affair, Federer breaking twice early on to take it, but the fourth returned to form, with both men holding through to a tie-break.

Benneteau did have to save three break points in the fifth game but was untroubled apart from that and, at 30-15 on Federer's serve in 12th, had half an opening. Victory, in theory, was two points away.

He could not seize the chance however, and after saving one set point in the breaker he netted on the next and the match was levelled.

That was the green light Federer needed to reach the finish line first, breaking to love in the fourth game of the decider with a forehand around the net and again in the next Benneteau service game to see it out.

Mahut Makes Federer Fight

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Federer Matches Connors Record

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Roger Federer tied Jimmy Connors' Open era record of 233 Grand Slam match wins by beating Tobias Kamke of Germany 6-2, 7-5, 6-3 in the first round of the French Open on Monday.

Federer, who owns a record 16 major championships, is 233-35 at tennis' top four tournaments, a .869 winning percentage. Connors was 233-49. The Open era began in 1968.

"That's a big one, because that was longevity," Federer said. "Jimmy is obviously one of the greats of all time and was around for 20 years."

Kamke fell to 6-10 at Grand Slams, never advancing past the third round.

Federer is playing in his 50th consecutive major tournament, the longest active streak and third-longest in the Open era, which began in 1968, when professionals were allowed into the Grand Slam events.

"Look, I obviously love the big tournaments," he said. "I have been so successful for such a long time, and to already tie that record (at) 30 years old is pretty incredible, so I'm very happy."

Federer turned 30 last August and is trying to become the first man that old to win a Grand Slam tournament since Andre Agassi was 32 at the 2003 Australian Open. Federer has gone more than two years without a major title -- his longest drought since winning his first at Wimbledon in 2003.

"You step back, you realize you have been playing for quite a long time. ... When I started, I loved playing against those famous players I used to see on TV. Now I'm playing against younger players, a new generation," he said. "It's great I didn't suffer that many injuries over these years. And I always had fun playing tennis."

Top-ranked Novak Djokovic, who is trying to win his fourth straight Grand Slam title, never faced a break point in beating Potito Starace of Italy 7-6 (3), 6-3, 6-1.

"It's just the first match here," Djokovic said in French on court after the match. "It's still a very long way to go before we talk about the final."

At last year's French Open, he lost to Federer in the semifinals.

"Well, pressure is always present. And the way I look at it, it is a privilege and, you know, it's a challenge," Djokovic said. "If you feel pressure, that means that you're doing something that is right."

Djokovic didn't have any problems on Court Philippe Chatrier on Monday, but he did have some trouble putting Starace away in the first set.

Although he didn't face a break point in the entire match, he missed all three of his own break chances in the first set and his first five in the third game of the second set.

After that, things started to click.

"At the start ... I was still trying to find the rhythm and movement on the court. And he obviously played a very good first set," Djokovic said. "But when I look at it now, after the match is over, maybe it was good for me to have the tough first set."

While Djokovic started with a bang, Alex Bogomolov Jr. chose to leave Roland Garros one point before he had to.

After more than four hours on court at the French Open, the Russian was trailing Arnaud Clement of France 6-2, 3-6, 4-6, 7-6 (2), 5-4 when he quit the match while serving because of leg cramps.

"My whole leg was straight. I couldn't bend it. I couldn't walk," Bogomolov said. "I didn't want to risk a potential ligament damage or something."

Bogomolov was playing at the French Open for the third time. He has now lost in the first round each time.

Earlier, Feliciano Lopez of Spain quit because of a side muscle injury after losing the first five games of his first-round match against Florent Serra of France.

The 15th-seeded Lopez pulled the muscle while practicing at Roland Garros on Thursday.

"In the beginning, I felt it was nothing really serious, but (the) day after, I couldn't play almost," Lopez said. "I tried to rest during the weekend just to try to play today, but it was impossible."

He said he hopes to be healthy in time for Wimbledon, which starts June 25.

Former top-ranked player Lleyton Hewitt also lost, falling to Blaz Kavcic of Slovenia 7-6 (2), 6-3, 6-7 (4), 6-3. No. 7 Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic, No. 10 John Isner of the United States and No. 11 Gilles Simon of France made it through.

Roger's Run Ended by Roddick

Roger Federer's 16-match winning streak came to an end when he was beaten 7-6 (7-4) 1-6 6-4 by Andy Roddick in the third round of the Miami Masters.

"I came out flat today," the Swiss said. "I was a bit tired, I guess."

World number one Novak Djokovic secured his place in round four with a 6-3 6-4 win over fellow Serbian Victor Troicki.

In the women's draw, top seed Victoria Azarenka progressed to the quarter-final stage by beating Slovakian Dominika Cibulkova 1-6 7-6 (9-7) 7-5.

Having lost the second set, Roddick survived three break points in the opening game of the decider and then broke Federer immediately.

It was only the American's third victory in 24 meetings against Federer and ended a losing sequence against top-three players stretching back to 2010.

"That's maybe 30 matches for the season. I am just feeling like it's taken its toll a bit," said Federer, who has won tournaments in Rotterdam, Dubai and Indian Wells this year.

Djokovic needed only 85 minutes to secure victory but had to save seven break points on his way to the last 16.

The Serbian will meet Richard Gasquet for a place in the quarter-finals after the Frenchman's win over Albert Ramos.

Azarenka, who beat Brit Heather Watson in the previous round, edged a marathon match lasting two hours and 49 minutes.

The Belarusian's winning run, which now stretches to 26 games, looked in serious jeopardy after she lost the first set.

"I definitely wasn't thinking about the streak, that's for sure," Azarenka said.

"It felt like she closed her eyes and just went for everything and I couldn't really just open my eyes. I was just blinded a little."

Former world number one Serena Williams - five-time winner of this tournament - beat sixth seed Sam Stosur 7-5 6-3 to set up a quarter-final encounter with fourth seed Caroline Wozniacki, who saw off Yanina Wickmayer 7-6 (8-6) 6-0.

Second seed Maria Sharapova's 6-4 7-6 (7-3) victory over Ekaterina Makarova secured a last-eight clash with Li Na , a 3-6 6-4 6-2 winner over Sabine Lasicki.

Marion Bartoli needed only 66 minutes to dispatch Maria Kirilenko 6-1 6-2.

Federer Rediscovers Rookie Years

Roger Federer says he has played some of the best tennis of his career since turning 30 and that he has rediscovered the enthusiasm of his rookie years.

Federer has not won a major since the 2010 Australian Open but is currently on a 15-match winning streak.

The 16-time Grand Slam winner won in Indian Wells on Sunday and competes in the Miami Masters from this weekend.

"I've shown that after 30 you can play your best tennis, which is nice for everyone," Federer told BBC Sport.

"I went from Qatar, last January, all the way to Basel, in November, without a [tournament] win.

"I played great: I made the French Open final, the semis of the US Open, I played some other great matches, but didn't win a title.

"And once you're so spoiled like me and you've won so much, finishing in the semis is nice, but it's not the great feeling you get from winning a title.

"So I feel like I'm going back a couple of years. I'm on this amazing streak [Federer has won 39 of 41 matches since last year's US Open] and it makes me feel very special.

"The press conferences are a whole lot easier: I'm getting easier questions, not always about my age.

"It's nice because I have been asked a lot since I turned 30, 'how long are you going to be playing?' and 'why aren't things so good?'"

Federer, the world number three, received a bye into the second round in Miami and kicks off his campaign against Ryan Harrison of the United States on Saturday.

Flu Decimates BNP Paribas Field

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal breezed through to the third round of the ATP & WTA BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells as a flu bug wreaked havoc on the men's and women's draws.

Reigning Wimbledon champion and WTA Player of the Year Petra Kvitova suffered an early exit to 19 year-old American Christina McHale. But the biggest problem eating into the draw was a stomach virus that has forced at least eight players to withdraw or retire within the last two days, including men's 14th seed Gael Monfils and women's ninth seed Vera Zvonareva.

Third seed Federer admitted he was feeling a bit sick but still managed to wrap up a comfortable 6-4, 6-1 win over wild card Denis Kudla.

Federer hammered eight aces and won 79 per cent of his first serve points in the 57 minute contest and later revealed that his family are suffering with illness.

"We are fighting something of our own in our family," he said. "I have a bit of a combination. Not a terrible temperature but I have some things going on. I am the best off in the family. The rest of them are struggling much more."

Federer, who won three titles in Indian Wells from 2004-2006, will face hard-serving Canadian Milos Raonic, who beat Carlos Berlocq in straight sets 6-4, 6-2, in the next round.

Nadal, meanwhile, won his first match since defeat at the Australian Open final when he lost only four games on his way to defeating Leonardo Mayer 6-1, 6-3.

"It's fantastic. I am happy to start with a victory," the world No 2 said. "I am taking it day by day. It's not easy to be back after a while without competition.

Nadal, a two-time winner in Indian Wells, will now face fellow Spaniard Marcel Granollers, who beat Tommy Haas of Germany 6-3, 2-6, 6-3.

Federer Halts Murray in Dubai Final

World number three Roger Federer continued his impressive run of form with victory over Andy Murray in the final of the Dubai Championships.

The 30-year-old, with 16 Grand Slam titles to his name, triumphed 7-5 6-4 in one hour and 30 minutes to claim his fifth Dubai title and 72nd in all.

“It was always going to be a tough battle tonight against Roger but he played the better match and deserved the win”Andy Murray

Federer dropped serve for the only time all week as Murray fought back in the second set, but the Swiss held firm.

"Winning is the best, it solves everything," said Federer.

After taking his winning streak to 10 matches on the back of titles in Rotterdam and now Dubai, he added: "I'm really happy, it went so well."

Federer had looked impregnable on serve all week, coming through a tight semi-final in two tie-breaks against Juan Martin del Potro on Friday after Murray's defeat of world number Novak Djokovic had grabbed the headlines.

The Briton, who had served impressively himself in defeating Djokovic, fashioned the first opportunity in the final when he earned two break points in game six.

However, a loose backhand error followed by a netted forehand under pressure saw the moment pass, and Murray would regret that fleeting opportunity when Federer made the breakthrough at 5-5.

The 24-year-old Scot fought back valiantly from 0-40 and saw Federer blaze a forehand wide on his fourth break point, but the Swiss made no mistake when presented with a fifth chance as a heavy backhand proved too much for Murray at the net.

Murray looked flat in comparison with Friday's semi-final and was not helping himself with a first-serve percentage that rarely moved above 50%, allowing Federer to attack his second serve.

That was the case when the second seed broke at 2-1 in the second set and, still to lose his serve in Dubai this year, Federer looked well set to close out the match.

It was not that straightforward in reality, with a double-fault not helping his cause before Murray sent up a winning lob to finally get the break and level at 3-3.

Murray urged himself on as he grabbed a foothold in the match but his usually reliable backhand was starting to break down too regularly, and when he clattered one into the net on break point at 4-4 he handed the advantage back to his opponent.

Federer needed two bites at the cherry but converted his second match point with a blistering forehand winner into the corner that aptly illustrated his dominance at the key moments.

Murray said: "It was a good week, I had a couple of good wins against Berdych and Novak. It was always going to be a tough battle tonight against Roger but he played the better match and deserved the win."

Federer Overpowers Del Potro

World number three Roger Federer swept aside Juan Martin del Potro in an hour and a half to win the World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam.

The Swiss repeated last month's Australian Open quarter-final win over Del Potro with a 6-1 6-4 victory.

Federer, 30, stormed into a 5-0 lead as he dominated the opening set.

And he got the crucial break in the second when he brought the Argentine to the net before firing a forehand past him to break for 3-2.

Federer's second Rotterdam title, and his 71st on the ATP Tour, takes his head-to-head record against Del Potro to 9-2.

“It's incredible that it took me seven years to come back and defend my title”Roger Federer

The 16-time Grand Slam champion ended 2011 with wins in Basel, Paris and London before adding his first title in Rotterdam for seven years.

"Even if I had a good indoor season last year, this is a great start," he said. "It's incredible that it took me seven years to come back and defend my title, I hope the next time is not so long. But if it is, then it means I'll be playing for another seven years."

Federer has now assured himself of a 12th consecutive year in which he has won at least one ATP title.

Federer Sweeps Past Mahut

Top seed Roger Federer swept past Nicolas Mahut 6-4 6-4 in the first round of the Rotterdam Open.

Federer, appearing at the indoor hardcourt event for the first time since winning it seven years ago, broke once in each set during a 67-minute triumph.

And the Swiss 16-time grand slam winner received a further boost when his scheduled second-round opponent Mikhail Youzhny withdrew from the tournament with a foot problem.

Federer goes straight through to a quarter-final date against Finland's Jarkko Nieminen, who saw off Poland's Lukasz Kubot 6-3 5-7 7-6 (7/2).

"Any win is a good win. Frankly I'm glad to be in the quarter-finals," said Federer, whose win erased memories of his performance in Switzerland's 5-0 Davis Cup loss to the United States on the Fribourg clay last weekend.

"It's always tough to make the change from clay but after losing my last two singles matches a win is great.

"I had to get used to the conditions quickly. It was a good start, I came through well, Nicolas is a tough player."

Berdych races through

Second seed Tomas Berdych crushed Czech compatriot Lukas Rosol 6-4 6-2 in his opening match.

Just a few days after playing together for the Czech Republic in the Davis Cup, Berdych and Rosol went head-to-head in what turned out to be a one-sided first-round encounter.

World number seven Berdych fired down 10 aces and broke serve three times to advance.

"I'm satisfied. It was indoors but still a tough transition from Davis Cup," said Berdych.

"Our court was much faster with lower bounce. I didn't really have much time to train here. but I coped with it pretty well. I was able to find my rhythm quite fast and was able to play my game."

Third seed Juan Del Potro made a winning debut at the event as he ousted 2008 champion Michael Llodra 6-4 6-7 (3/7) 6-4.

Llodra, ranked 47th in the world, was fighting jet-leg after flying in from France's recent 4-1 Davis Cup victory over Canada in Vancouver, nine time zones away.

Del Potro admitted he had trouble closing out the victory. "I was nervous in the last game," said the South American, who returned to the top 10 after reaching the Australian Open quarter-finals in January.

"I'm really pleased to have won in my first match here."

In other first-round results, Marcos Baghdatis beat German Matthias Bachinger 7-6 (7/2) 6-2, Russian Alex Bogomolov advanced when Sergiy Stakhovsky quit injured when trailing 6-3 0-1 and Slovak Karol Beck saw off Germany's Philipp Petzschner 7-6 (8/6) 6-3.

Isner Ends Federer Davis Run

Roger Federer slumped to his first Davis Cup defeat in nine years losing 4-6 6-3 7-6 (7-4) 6-2 to John Isner as the United States opened up a 2-0 World Group lead over Switzerland.

Isner secured victory against the world number three with three return winners as the 32-time Davis Cup champions moved closer to a quarter-final spot.

"I missed more opportunities than he did and that cost me," Federer said.

Earlier, Mardy Fish beat Stanislas Wawrinka 6-2 4-6 4-6 6-1 9-7.

Federer won the first set without dropping serve, before it was broken in the sixth game of the second set as Isner levelled the match.

Sixteen-time Grand Slam winner Federer could not convert break chances in the sixth and eighth games of the third set - taking just one of his 12 opportunities in the match. Isner made the Swiss pay by winning in the tie-break.

The fourth set turned on the fifth game when Isner battled back from 0-40 down with three big serves and two thunderous forehand winners. Federer never recovered and Isner won four consecutive games, ending the match by hitting a cross-court backhand winner.

"I thought he played great - he played it tough and served great when he had to," Federer added.

"It's been a difficult day for us, we still have a chance to go through. I'm going to enjoy the challenge."

The United States can eliminate Switzerland in Saturday's doubles when Mike Bryan and Ryan Harrison face Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka, the 2008 Beijing Olympic gold medalists.

Nadal Wins Federer Semi Final

Rafael Nadal produced some scintillating tennis to come from one set down to beat Roger Federer and reach his second Australian Open final.

The world number two, who won the 2009 title, lost an opening set tie-break but hit back to take the next three and win 6-7 (5-7) 6-2 7-6 (7-5) 6-4.

Third seed Federer saved one match point on Nadal's serve but the Spaniard held his nerve to take it on the next.

Nadal will play either Andy Murray or Novak Djokovic in Sunday's final.

It was another classic encounter in what remains one of sport's greatest rivalries, with the 10-time Grand Slam champion Nadal extending his winning record over Federer to 18 victories in 27 meetings.

The Mallorcan gave his best wishes to his defeated opponent after what he described as "another fantastic match".

Nadal, who injured his knee prior to the tournament, added: "Two Sundays ago I really couldn't imagine being in the final. It's a dream to be here."

Federer, bidding for a 17th Grand Slam title, started imperiously, breaking Nadal early to take a 3-0 lead only for the tenacious Spaniard to bite back to take the first set to a tie-break.

The four-time champion looked in control of the match until he relinquished his early break, with Nadal restoring parity in the seventh game thanks to a wonderful passing shot.

A mini-break was enough to ensure the 30-year-old Swiss prevailed to claim the opening set, but Nadal bounced back with vengeance to break his rival in the fifth game of the second set for an unassailable lead.

Federer's play was becoming increasingly wayward - he ended the match with 63 unforced errors compared with Nadal's 34 - as he tried in vain to fathom a way to penetrate's Nadal's stubborn defence.

Both players' service games faltered in the third set. The pair exchanged breaks before taking the set to a tie-break, with Nadal coming out on top despite Federer valiantly saving five set points.

The second seed went on to secure a crucial break in the ninth game of the final set to serve for an impressive win.

Federer Celebrates 1,000th

Roger Federer celebrated his 1,000th tour-level match by demolishing Juan Martin Del Potro to reach the Australian Open semi-finals.

Four times a winner in Melbourne, Federer was at his brilliant best as he romped to a 6-4 6-3 6-2 victory on Rod Laver Arena - the 814th win of his fabulous career.

The Swiss star said: "I'm very happy. I thought it was a great match.

"It was tough with the sun creeping across the court but it was a quality match against a wonderful player. I know how hard he can hit the ball but I was able to manoeuvre him around."

Federer started superbly, breaking serve at the first attempt to race into a 3-0 lead.

However, any thoughts he had of repeating his 2009 quarter-final win over Del Potro here - he lost just three games - soon disappeared as the Argentine found his range.

A trademark crushing forehand forced an error from Federer in the seventh game to secure the break back.

It was a high standard of tennis but Del Potro, who famously beat Federer to capture the 2009 US Open title, faltered when serving to stay in the set at 4-5. A double fault on set point was a calamitous error.

Federer broke early in the second set to lead 3-1 but Del Potro still had chances to recover.

He missed break point in the very next game and also piled the pressure on as Federer served for the set at 5-3.

Four break-back opportunities were squandered - Federer roaring his approval as he saved one of them - and the Swiss eventually held to lead by two sets.

Del Potro had never come from such a deficit to win and he never looked like doing so in this match either.

A couple of sumptuous backhands - one a pushed return winner, the other a devilish slice - saw Federer gain another early break and a second moved him 5-2 ahead.

He duly served out to complete victory in a minute under two hours.

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.

Beck Withdraws and Federer Walks

Roger Federer has been given free passage to the third round of AO2012 after Andreas Beck pulled out of their Wednesday match.

The German Beck was forced to withdraw due to a back injury, just hours before their scheduled clash at Hisense Arena.

The withdrawal means Federer advances to the third round where he will meet the winner of Wednesday's match between Ivo Karlovic and Carlos Berlocq.

Federer said the withdrawl came as a surprise.

"I didn't know anything about it. It came as a surprise. He said he had a lot of painkillers and pain in the last match. I guess it's the smart decision for him to take.

"I would have loved to have played. I feel sad for the fans at Hisense who would have loved to come and see me play," Federer said.

The third seed said he hoped the walkover would not affect his preparations for the third round.

"I'll just relax this afternoon and have an intense hit tomorrow," he said.