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Roger Federer, Karolina Pliskova enter Wimbledon fourth round
Roger Federer beat Jan-Lennard Struff in straight sets, while Karolina Pliskova came back from a set down to beat Mihaela Buzarnescu to enter the fourth round of Wimbledon
Defending champion Roger Federer eased to a record 175th grass-court victory with a straight-sets win over Jan-Lennard Struff in the third round at Wimbledon.
The 20-time grand slam champion surpassed Jimmy Connors’ tally by seeing off the unseeded German 6-3 7-5 6-2 in his 200th Tour-level grass-court match.
Federer struck 36 winners, making only eight unforced errors and not facing a solitary break point to achieve yet another record on Centre Court.
The top seed will take on Adrian Mannarino in the last 16 as he eyes a ninth Wimbledon title and a 99th of his astonishing career.
Federer conjured up a majestic one-handed cross-court backhand from beyond the baseline to go a break up at 4-2 and sealed the first set in only 24 minutes.
The big-serving Struff, who came from two sets down in his first two matches, did not appear to be overawed as he unleashed powerful groundstrokes and showed aggressive intent, but he could not get a look-in on the Federer serve.
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Swiss great Federer swatted away a magnificent backhand volley after toying with Struff, breaking to lead 6-5 and ended the second set with a sublime forehand winner down the line.
Struff went a break down at 2-1 in the third when he was undone by a low bounce and a double fault gifted another break to Federer, who served out the match to love and finished another masterclass with a 10th ace.
Pliskova survives scare
Karolina Pliskova came back from the brink of defeat to reach the fourth round at Wimbledon for the first time with a 3-6, 7-6 (3), 6-1 victory over Romanian Mihaela Buzarnescu.
Having been a set and a break down, the seventh-seeded Czech lifted her game and took advantage of a spate of errors from her 29th-seeded opponent to turn the match around.
Pliskova is one of only two top-10 players left in the women’s draw, with top-seeded Simona Halep in third round action on Saturday.
On her seventh appearance at the All England Club, 2016 U.S. Open runner-up Pliskova was playing in the third round for the first time and in her fourth-round debut will face 20th-seeded Kiki Bertens of the Netherlands.
