FEDERER ROLLS ON; WOZNIACKI BOMBS OUT
LONDON— As Roger Federer was winning 35 consecutive service points at Wimbledon on Wednesday—yes, 35 in a row—a Centre Court spectator cheered him on while wearing a red shirt with white lettering that said, “PeRFect.”
He comes pretty close to living up to that at times.
Federer moved into the third round at the All England Club as he chases his record-extending ninth championship there, using close-to-impeccable serving to beat 73rd-ranked Lukas Lacko of Slovakia, 6-4, 6-4, 6-1.
The 36-year-old Federer compiled 48 winners and just 11 unforced errors. He won 40 of 43 first-serve points, never faced a break chance, and delivered 16 aces.
“Sometimes your serve matches up better against certain players,” he said. “There’s no doubt about that.”
At 4-3, 40-30, Federer hit a 118 mph ace to hold and start his roll that included the last five points he served in the first set, all 20 in the second, and then the first 10 of the third. By then, it was so dominant that one television announcer was moved to jokingly exclaim, “Come on, doublefault!” Federer did not oblige. Caroline Wozniacki, meanwhile, complained about the flying insects, demanding that bug spray be brought to the court before becoming the highest-ranked casualty in the women’s draw thus far.
The No. 2-seeded Wozniacki was not exactly gracious in defeat after staving off five match points, but not the sixth, in what became a 6-4, 16, 7-5 loss to 35th-ranked Ekaterina Makarova of Russia in the second round.