'Brain-freeze' for Djokovic as Federer rolls on

MELBOURNE: Novak Djokovic dished up 100 unforced errors in a five-set struggle with Gilles Simon on Sunday as Roger Federer roared into the Australian Open quarter-finals with ruthless efficiency. After the top seed's "match to forget", Federer looked in a hurry to brush off David Goffin when they came on court just before 11 pm - and he duly thrashed the Belgian 6-2, 6-1, 6-4 in 88 minutes. There was a big contrast between defending champion Djokovic, who is going for a record-equalling sixth Australian Open title, and the 34-year-old Federer, who hasn't won in Melbourne since 2010. While Simon patiently pushed and prodded Djokovic during his 6-3, 6-7 (1/7), 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 win, Goffin couldn't lay a glove on Federer as the clockwork Swiss purred through. But both are safely into the quarter-finals, with Djokovic facing Kei Nishikori in his 27th consecutive Grand Slam last-eight clash and Federer up against Tomas Berdych. Berdych also had to come through a marathon five-setter as he outlasted Spain's Roberto Bautista Agut 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 to reach the last eight for the sixth year in a row. By comparison, Nishikori's win was a stroll as he crushed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in straight sets, and he may fancy his chances against Djokovic after the Serb's flustered performance against Simon. "Actually, it gives me great joy to know that I can't get worse than that, than what I played today," Djokovic said. "I was obviously pleased to win the match, but in terms of the performance itself, I haven't done well at all... It's a match to forget for me." He was at a loss to explain his tactic of continually trying drop shots, which either found the net or were returned with interest by the fast-moving Simon. "Sometimes you have a brain freeze, if I can call it that way," the 10-time Grand Slam champion said.