Roger Federer flies into quarter-finals at Australian Open

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Four-time former champion and third seed Roger Federer will play sixth seed Tomas Berdych in the Australian Open quarter-finals. Federer has a 15-6 FedEx ATP Head2Head series lead against the Czech, who earlier on Sunday defeated No. 24 seed Roberto Bautista Agut.

"I have to play well," said Federer. "I think the court suits him. I think this sort of flatter bounce and faster court is good for his serves, good for his returns. It's a fast court [and] I think for his kind of game it's good."

Federer recorded his 79th match win at Melbourne Park, venue of the Grand Slam championship, with a 6-2, 6-1, 6-4 victory over No. 15 seed David Goffin, in a match that finished at 12:17 a.m. local time on Monday. He is now through to his 12th Australian Open quarter-final (47th overall).

"It was good [and I was] surprised it went as fast as it did," said Federer. "To win the first two sets within 50 minutes is the best thing that can happen out there, especially with a late start and against a quality player. So I was very happy. It was important to keep the momentum going, keep staying aggressive and trying to get the match done in three. I was able to do that. I was very pleased."

The Swiss required just 21 minutes to clinch the opening set, hitting three aces and losing just three of his service points. He broke in the fourth and eighth games of the opener. Goffin, who had posters of Federer on his bedroom wall growing up, attempted to re-group but he was unable to do so. Federer capitalised on the fast court conditions to maintain his dominance in the second set and two breaks of serve - in the first and fifth games - of the third set extinguished Goffin's hopes.

"It's always tough to play on a court that you've never played [on], like Rod Laver Arena," said Goffin. "It was tough to feel my timing from the baseline. He was playing really good from the beginning. When you start to feel better after two sets, one break down, it's tough to come back."

Federer hit 39 winners, including seven aces for victory in 88 minutes.

At 34 years, 176 days, Federer is the oldest man to reach the Australian Open last eight since Andre Agassi (34 years, 276 days) did so in 2005. Federer recorded his 300th Grand Slam match win on Friday against No. 27 seed Grigor Dimitrov.

Federer improves to 1,066 match wins, five victories shy of equalling Ivan Lendl (1,071) at No. 2 in the Open Era match wins list. Jimmy Connors leads overall with 1,254 match wins.

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Martina Hingis & Sania Mirza storm to 32nd straight win and Aussie Open 3rd round

MELBOURNE, Australia - Top seeds Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza continued to dominate the opposition with a 32nd straight win, this time over twin sisters Nadiia and Lyudmyla Kichenok, 6-2, 6-3.

The World Co-No.1s haven't lost a match since August, and were always in control during the 63 minute win over the Kichenoks, who could only break serve once to Santina's four. Hingis and Mirza hit a combined 18 winners to just 11 unforced errors, and won 72% of their first serve points.

Up next for the top-ranked team is the unseeded but potentially dangerous pair of Svetlana Kuznetsova and former doubles No.1 Roberta Vinci, who eased pass a pair of Aussies in Jessica Moore and Storm Sanders, 6-0, 6-3.

The Indo-Swiss duo has bagged 11 titles so far in their very successful partnership - including the first two tournaments of 2016 in Brisbane and Sydney - and are a mere 12 wins away from tying Jana Novotna and Helena Sukova's 1990 record of 44 wins in a row.

No.2 seeds Chan Yung-Jan and Chan Hao-Ching eased into the third round with a two-set win over Kateryna Bondarenko and Olga Savchuk, while No.3 seeds Kristina Mladenovic and Caroline Garcia and No.7 seeds Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka also emerged in straight sets.

No.5 seed Elena Vesnina and new partner Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova also had a solid second round outing on Saturday, defeating Ysaline Bonaventure and Raluca Olaru in straight sets, 6-1, 6-2. The pair will next face Pavlyuchenkova's former partner Alla Kudryavtseva, who recently paired with resurgent American Vania King. King and Kudryavtseva were ruthlessly efficient in upsetting No.11 seeds Samantha Stosur and Yaroslava Shvedova - King's former partner, with whom she captured the 2010 Wimbledon and US Open tropies - 6-1, 6-4.

The biggest upset of the day came from giant-killer Barbora Strycova; fresh from upsetting No.3 seed Garbiñe Muguruza in singles, the Czech veteran paired with Mirjana Lucic-Baroni to take out No.6 seeds Raquel Atawo and Abigail Spears, recovering from a set down to win, 6-7(4), 6-2, 6-1.

Mirza is also the top seed oin mixed doubles; she and partner Ivan Dodig cruised past Aussies Ajla Tomljanovic and Nick Kyrgios, 7-5, 6-1. No.2 seed Bethanie Mattek-Sands shook off the disappointment of falling in her second round women's doubles match on Friday by pairing with Bob Bryan to defeat Jessica Moore and Marc Polmans, 6-2, 6-1. The love match between Daria Gavrilova and boyfriend Luke Saville was less successful, falling to Shvedova and Aisam Qureshi, 6-4, 7-6(5).

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Roger Federer avoids last year's early round exit moves to 4th round & reaches mile stone at Aussie Open

Roger Federer climbed into rarefied territory on a rainy Friday at the Australian Open. With a 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 third-round win over 27th seed Grigor Dimitrov in Rod Laver Arena, the No. 3 seed clinched the 300th Grand Slam match win of his storied career, becoming the first man to reach the milestone.

Only Martina Navratilova (306) stands in front of him.

"It's very exciting, I must tell you," said Federer of the milestone. "Like when I reached 1,000 [tour-level wins] last year, it was a big deal for me. Not something I ever aimed for or looked for, but when it happens, it's very special. You look deeper into it, I guess, where it's all happened and how. So it's very nice. I'm very happy."

The 48-minute first set went in Federer’s favour behind a service break at 3-all, the only interruption the opening, then closing, of Rod Laver Arena’s retractable roof due to rain. But the Bulgarian Dimitrov, who after three straight-sets losses took his first set off Federer in the Brisbane quarter-finals earlier this month, would get another to level the match at a set apiece, his aggressive play paying dividends against the 17-time Slam champ.

Federer didn’t wait long to assert himself in the third set, breaks coming in the second and sixth games for a 5-1 advantage. A game later he was ahead two sets to one. A forehand error from Dimitrov at 2-all, 30/40 in the fourth and final set would give Federer a seemingly insurmountable lead, and the Swiss went on to clinch the contest in two hours and 40 minutes. He finished with 47 winners, including 13 aces.

"That was my goal, to react quickly after the second set because I struggled a little bit," said Federer. "But then found my way back, then was able to take charge of the match. It was important. Conditions, again, were very different indoors than they were against Dolgopolov in the second round. Even night session plays different.

"Just got to manage these conditions a bit. I'm pleased. Wasn't easy. I didn't expect it to be against Grigor. It was a tough round, so I'm happy."

It was Dimitrov's seventh straight loss to a Top-10 player.

Federer, at 34 a decade Dimitrov’s senior, is the oldest man to reach the round of 16 at the Australian Open since Andre Agassi played his way into the quarter-finals in 2005. He is looking to become only the third man to win five Australian Open singles titles after Roy Emerson (six) and Novak Djokovic (five), having won the title in 2004, 2006, 2007 and 2010.

Dimitrov was bidding to reach the fourth round for the third consecutive year. His best Australian Open result is a quarter-finals showing in 2014 (l. to Rafael Nadal).

"I felt I could have played better tennis throughout the whole match," said Dimitrov. "After the second set, I was just getting a little flat. I was hoping to have a better result. I'm not going to lie. Losses like that always hurt, but in the same time I just lately haven't played those kind of matches I think.

"Just don't get discouraged at the same time. It's not like I'm losing every match or anything like that. I thought I played good tennis at the beginning of the year, and that's important. Still a lot of tournaments to come ahead. So I'm really going to try to go out there and use all my confidence that I've built so far and, of course, keep trying."

Federer advances to play No. 15 seed David Goffin of Belgium, a 6-1, 3-6, 7-6(2), 7-5 winner over No. 19 seed Dominic Thiem of Austria. The 25-year-old Goffin is through to the fourth round of a major for the third time, having also reached the last 16 at 2012 Roland Garros (as a qualifier) and 2015 Wimbledon. The right-hander will look to overturn a 0-3 FedEx ATP Head2Head record over Federer.

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Martina Hingis & Sania Mirza extend winning steak to 31 at Australian Open

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MELBOURNE, Australia - Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza, the No.1 doubles team and co-World No.1s, extended their streak to 31 consecutive wins by defeating the Colombian-Brazilian team of Mariana Duque-Mariño and Teliana Pereira and advancing into the second round.

It was a straightforward win for Hingis and Mirza, who are going for their third straight Grand Slam at the Australian Open.

The pair dashed ahead in the scoreboard by claiming early breaks in both sets, leaving the South Americans always playing catch-up to stay in the match. They struck 30 winners while Duque-Marino and Pereira served five double faults and had 17 unforced errors to their name. The No.1 seeds never felt like they were in danger and comfortably closed out the match at 6-2, 6-3.

The Indo-Swiss duo has bagged 11 titles so far in their very successful partnership, and with each win they inch closer to Jana Novotna and Helena Sukova's 1990 record of 44 wins in a row.

Also in action on Day 4, a pair of French rising stars, No.3 seeds Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic, defeated the Argentine-Spanish duo of María Irigoyen and María-Teresa Torró-Flor, 6-3 6-2. The Frenchwomen teamed up at the beginning of the year with an eye on a possible spot in the Olympics in Rio. The pair reached the finals in Sydney before falling short to Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza in a third set tiebreak.

Elsewhere, No.6 seeded American veterans Raquel Atawo and Abigail Spears scored their first win of the year over Sara Errani and María José Martínez Sánchez, beating the Italian-Spanish team 6-2, 6-3.

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Roger Federer powers through to the 3rd round of Australian Open

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Roger Federer had practised with Alexandr Dolgopolov as recently as the off-season in Dubai. So the No. 3 seed knew good and well that the 35th-ranked Ukrainian had the fitness, the speed and the tennis IQ to makes things difficult for him in the second round in Melbourne.

The Swiss kept that all in check on Wednesday in Rod Laver Arena by simply serving his way past his 27-year-old challenger, charting 25 aces and winning 88 per cent (43 of 49) of his first-serve points in a straight-sets 6-3, 7-5, 6-1 win. He could face Grigor Dimitrov next, should the Bulgarian get past Argentine Marco Trungelliti.

The first opening came in the sixth game of the first set, Federer breaking the Ukrainian at love with a clean backhand winner. Serving for the set at 5-3, he fired three aces to take the set in 26 minutes.

The second set remained on serve through 10 games when three straight errors from Dolgopolov handed a break to Federer, who then stepped up to the service stripe to secure a commanding two-sets-to-love lead. Three breaks in the final set were just too much for Dolgopolov to overcome in the 92-minute loss.

Federer is looking to become only the third man in history to win five Australian Open singles titles after Roy Emerson (six) and Novak Djokovic (five).

Dolgopolov’s best Grand Slam result came at the Australian Open in 2011, when he reached the quarter-finals (l. to Andy Murray). He defeated Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Robin Soderling in five sets to become just the second Ukrainian man to reach the last eight at a major.

Federer wasn't the only one turning in a big serving performance on Day 3. No. 6 seed Tomas Berdychlost just two points on his first serve (37 for 39) in dispatching Mirza Basic of Bosnia and Herzegovina 6-4, 6-0, 6-3 in 98 minutes, 15 aces among the Czech's 43 winners. Forty-nine unforced errors proved Spaniard Nicolas Almagro's undoing in a 6-3, 6-1, 6-3 loss to 19th seed Dominic Thiem of Austria. Thiem finished with 28 winners to 14 unforced errors in the one-hour and 40-minute victory.

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Could this Australian Open be a breakthrough for Agnieszka Radwanska?

MELBOURNE, Australia - After winning the biggest title of her career at the WTA Finals at the end of the 2015 season, Agnieszka Radwanska made a big declaration - that she would do everything in her power to win a Grand Slam title in 2016 (check out the full interview with CNN Open Court here).

But Radwanska hasn't just been talking the talk of a future Grand Slam champion - she's been walking the walk, big time. Since losing early at the US Open she's been doing a heck of a lot of winning, capturing four of the six tournaments she's played - Tokyo [Pan Pacific], Tianjin, the WTA Finals in Singapore and Shenzhen this past week - and putting together a more than impressive 22-4 record.

And by winning Shenzhen, Radwanska also secured a rise from No.5 to No.4 on the WTA Rankings, meaning she'll have a Top 4 seed at the Australian Open, which, in turn, means she won't have to play Serena Williams until at least the semifinals - a good break given she's 0-8 against the World No.1.

But the question remains: Why could the Australian Open be Radwanska's first Grand Slam title?

Well, there's actually a very good reason Radwanska could make her breakthrough at the Grand Slam of the Asia-Pacific - she's won 10 of her 18 career WTA titles in the Asia-Pacific**:

2016 - Shenzhen
2015 - Tokyo [Pan Pacific], Tianjin, WTA Finals [Singapore]
2014 - Montréal
2013 - Auckland, Sydney, Seoul
2012 - Dubai, Miami, Brussels
2011 - Carlsbad, Tokyo [Pan Pacific], Beijing
2008 - Pattaya City, Istanbul, Eastbourne
2007 - Stockholm

** The general definition for Asia-Pacific is East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia and Oceania

Radwanska was asked why she always does so well in the Asia-Pacific during her week in Shenzhen.

"That's a good question - I'm not sure!" she replied. "I'm always feeling good on the court here, and I'm always playing great tennis. And you can't ignore the results - that's really a lot of tournaments.

"Hopefully there will be even more tournaments to play in the Asia-Pacific in the future!"

Many would pick Wimbledon to be Radwanska's best major - she reached her first Grand Slam final there in 2012, after all - but she's been to the quarterfinals or better at the Australian Open just as many times as at Wimbledon (five). Her best result in Melbourne was the semifinals back in 2014.

Can the World No.4, a former World No.2, go all the way this time? Stay tuned on wtatennis.com!

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Roger Federer dominant in first match of Australian Open

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Roger Federer was in ruthless form on Monday evening in Melbourne as he surged through to the second round of the Australian Open with a 6-2, 6-1, 6-2 victory over Nikoloz Basilashvili in just 72 minutes.

The Basel native rifled 31 winners to just nine from his opponent and converted eight of his 14 break points.

"That was a good match," said Federer. "I'm really pleased how I was able to play. Definitely gives me a bit of a lift in confidence because this year I haven't been able to play properly yet. I had some decent matches in Brisbane, but it was all under a cloud knowing that I wasn't 100 per cent.

"But this was a match where I was able to focus on my game, on tactics, all that stuff. So it was nice to play that way."

The 34-year-old Federer is looking to become the third man in history to win five Australian Open titles, following Roy Emerson (six) and Novak Djokovic (five). The Swiss lifted the trophy at Melbourne Park in 2004 (d. Safin), 2006 (d. Baghdatis), 2007 (d. Gonzalez) and 2010 (d. Murray); he also finished runner-up in 2009 (l. to Nadal).

Federer opened his 2016 campaign in Brisbane, where he battled through the flu to reach his 136th tour-level final, finishing runner-up to Milos Raonic.

American teenager Noah Rubin claimed his first tour-level win in style as he withstood 18 aces to stun 17th seed Benoit Paire 7-6(4), 7-6(6), 7-6(5) in two hours and 31 minutes.

At No. 328 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, the wild card is the first player ranked outside the Top 300 to beat a seed at a Grand Slam since No. 478 Fernando Gonzalez defeated Alexandr Dolgopolov in Wimbledon 2011.

The 19-year-old Rubin, who won the USTA's Australian Open Wild Card Challenge to make his debut in Melbourne, goes on to face French qualifier Pierre-Hugues Herbert, who beat Pablo Andujar 5-7, 6-4, 7-6(5), 6-2.

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