There’s no stopping the Fed Express

DEFENDING Wimbledon champion Roger Federer outclassed France’s Adrian Mannarino to reach the quarter-finals without dropping a set to date.

Federer, 36, won 6-0 7-5 6-4 against the 22nd seed on Centre Court, and has now won 32 consecutive sets at SW19.

He will play South African eighth seed Kevin Anderson or France’s Gael Monfils in the last eight tomorrow.

The top seed is bidding for a joint record ninth singles title to draw level with Martina Navratilova.

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.”

Elsewhere, Milos Raonic beat Mackenzie McDonald in four sets to reach the quarter-finals for the third year in a row.

Federer has been referred to as the ‘Fed Express’ by some - and the 20-time Grand Slam champion lived up to that moniker as he raced into full speed from the first ball.

He broke in the opening game and allowed Mannarino just two points on his way into a 5-0 lead as Centre Court witnessed one of the most one-sided encounters in recent years.

The Frenchman, who has never reached a Grand Slam quarterfinal, did force a break point in the sixth game, only to see Federer save it with an ace and then wrap up the opening set in just 16 minutes.

Wimbledon’s show court has long been enthralled by the eighttime champion - but even the usually pro-Federer crowd felt sympathy for the manner in which Mannarino was being beaten.

Encouraging cheers greeted an ace in his opening service game, only topped when he finally got on the scoreboard after saving four break points in an eight-minute battle.

The crowd wanted a contest, and they got one in the second set.

Mannarino, 30, pushed Federer to 4-4, despite being unable to make any dents on his opponent’s accurate serving. However, a poor service game in the 10th game summed up by a wild forehand allowed Federer to convert the decisive break of the second set.