Federer records 300th slam win
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ROGER Federer was already a long way clear at the top of the list of men with the most wins in grand slam singles matches, so becoming the first to 300 wasn’t a major distraction. He reached the milestone at Rod Laver Arena yesterday, when he moved into the fourth round of the Australian Open with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 victory over Grigor Dimitrov.
“It’s very exciting, I must tell you,” Federer said of his latest record, adding that reaching 1,000 wins in tour matches last year was also a cause for celebration. “It was a big deal for me. Not something I ever aimed for or looked for, but when it happens, it’s very special. Yeah, you look deeper into it, I guess, where it’s all happened and how. So it’s very nice.”
Defending champions and top-ranked Serena Williams and Novak Djokovic had night matches starting at the same time on nearby courts.
Six-time champion Serena Williams raced to a 6-1, 6-1 win in 45 minutes over 18-year-old Russian Daria Kasatkina. She will next play Margarita Gasparyan, who beat Yulia Putintseva 6-3, 6-4.
Djokovic needed only 25 minutes to win the first set against No. 28-seeded Andreas Seppi but had a tougher time in the next two, saving two set points in the tiebreaker before winning 6-1, 7-5, 7-6 (6) on Margaret Court Arena. After making way for Williams on the main court, he noted it was his first match on Melbourne Park’s No. 2 court since it was renovated to include a roof.
Djokovic, a five-time Australian Open champion, continued a streak of reaching at least the fourth round at every major since the 2009 French Open. He was also particularly wary of a third-rounder against Seppi, who beat four-time champion Federer at the same stage here last year.
“I played a quality player who took out Federer last year here and who has been on the tour for many years,” he said. “It was a great test. It was a physical match. I’m just glad I got through.”
Also advancing were two-time semifinalist Tomas Berdych, who beat No. 29 Nick Kyrgios in four sets, and 2014 US Open finalist Kei Nishikori, who had a 7-5, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 win over No. 26-seeded Guillermo Garcia-Lopez and will next play 2008 Australian Open finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Marin Cilic, the 2014 US Open champion, lost to No. 24 Roberto Bautista Agut 6-4, 7-6 (5), 7-5.
No. 15 David Goffin beat No. 19 Dominic Thiem 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (2), 7-5, his first win against a top-20 player at a grand slam. He faces a tougher proposition next: Federer. The 17-time major winner now is 67 clear of No. 2 Jimmy Connors in grand slam singles wins, though Federer’s main aim is to win his first major since Wimbledon 2012.
Dimitrov needed treatment for an undisclosed ailment at times, but Federer didn’t cut him any slack.
“You’re aware of it, I’m a veteran so I,” don’t get distracted, Federer said. “I’ve been fooled too many times when I was a teenager. I hope he’s OK.”
Earlier in a rain-interrupted day at Melbourne Park, 2008 champion Maria Sharapova collected her 600th win at tour level. She advanced with a 6-1, 6-7 (5), 6-0 win over Lauren Davis before she was reminded of the milestone, becoming the 17th woman to reach the mark.
“Wow. I’ve won 600 matches?” Sharapova said. “I think it’s a proud number.”
The fifth-seeded Sharapova will next play No. 12 Belinda Bencic, who had a 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 win over Kateryna Bondarenko. Roberta Vinci lost 0-6, 6-4, 6-4 to Anna-Lena Friedsam, who will next face No. 4 Agnieszka Radwanska.
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