Federer sails past Mannarino to book quarter-finals berth
CANADIAN RAONIC BLASTS 37 ACES ON HIS WAY PAST MCDONALD
Roger Federer needed just 16 minutes to win the opening set in a 6-0, 7-5, 6-4 defeat of France’s Adrian Mannarino to reach his 16th Wimbledon quarter-final yesterday.
Eight-time champion Federer will be playing in his 53rd Grand Slam last-eight when he tackles either Gael Monfils of France or Kevin Anderson, the eighth-seeded South African.
Top seed Federer, 36, has now won 32 consecutive sets at Wimbledon, just two behind his record set from the third round in 2005 to his title triumph in 2006. “It was crucial for him to stay in the match at the beginning of the second set and then it got tougher,” said Federer after his sixth win in six meetings against French left-hander Mannarino.
“You always tend to play better against better players and I am happy to be back in the second week of Wimbledon.”
Federer boasts a 4-0 career record against 2017 US Open runner-up Anderson and 9-4 over Monfils.
Federer served out the match with an ace out wide, winning in one hour and 45 minutes.
The Swiss is two sets short of his all-time record streak, which he set between the third round in 2005 and the final in 2006.
“I wouldn’t know that it happened in ‘05 and ‘06, I feel like these streaks just happen,” he said.
“I’m equally happy if I would have won all the matches in four sets. That it happened to be in straights, it helps me for to save energy for the rest of the tournament.”
Big-serving Milos Raonic fired 37 aces and 74 winners to defeat Mackenzie McDonald of the United States and reach the quarter-finals for the fourth time on Monday.
The 27-year-old Canadian, who was runner-up to Andy Murray in 2016, triumphed 6-3, 6-4, 6-7 (5/7), 6-2.
American ninth seed John Isner reached his first Wimbledon quarter-final at the 10th attempt with a 6-4, 7-6 (10/8), 7-6 (7/4) win over Greek teenager Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Isner, 33, will be playing in his first quarter-final at the majors since the 2011 US Open when he faces former Wimbledon finalist Milos Raonic for a semi-final spot tomorrow.