Defending champion Roger Federer continued his near flawless run at Roland Garros as he defeated Stanislas Wawrinka 6-3, 7-6(5), 6-2 in an all-Swiss fourth-round clash Sunday in Paris.
In a repeat of the 2009 final, Federer will face fifth seed Robin Soderling in the quarter-finals. Federer takes a perfect 12-0 record into the clash with Soderling, having since defeated the right-hander in the fourth round at Wimbledon and the US Open quarter-finals. Should the 28-year-old Federer once again get the better of his Swedish opponent, he will extend his own record of consecutive Grand Slam semi-final appearances by reaching his 24th.
The top seed is yet to drop a set en route to the quarter-finals and was once again in top form as he improved to a 5-1 record against Wawrinka, with whom he won an Olympic Games gold medal in the Beijing doubles competition two years ago.
Federer broke serve twice in the opening set, closing out a one-set lead with a forehand crosscourt winner in the ninth game. However, the Swiss could not maintain his momentum and in a rare lapse of concentration at the beginning of the second set, Wawrinka was able to take advantage of errors from the Federer racquet to engineer a service break.
No. 20 seed Wawrinka was not able to keep up his improved level of play, though, and a loose service game at 4-3 allowed Federer to draw level. Federer then demonstrated why he has a vastly superior tie-break record to Wawrinka (273-144 compared with 56-76) as he rallied from a mini-break down to seal a two-set lead.
In a one-sided third set, Federer broke twice in the third and fifth games as he raced to victory in just under two hours.
Federer, who has won a record 16 Grand Slam championship titles, is looking to become the first player to defend a major title since he himself did so at the US Open (d. Murray) two years ago.
Soderling jumped for joy and punched the air in celebration after completing a comprehensive 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 victory over No. 10 seed Marin Cilic of Croatia in just one hour and 41 minutes.
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This post has been edited by tornike-92 on 30 May 2010, 21:46
მიმაგრებული სურათი
Everything about him is perfect...His career on and off court is an inspiration to all mankind....
Roger Federer is like a disease...ppl are obsessed with him..
LUCKY TO BE BORN in FEDERER'S ERA!!
”არ არსებობს ფინიშის ზღვარი. ჯერ კიდევ ბევრი რამ არის გასაკეთებელი”- როჯერ ფედერერი