XtraTime Web Desk: Roger Federer sets a new record in the Wimbledon as he is in the fourth round without dropping a set or even taken to deuce on serve.
Federer recorded a comprehensive 6-3 7-5 6-2 win over German Jan-Lennard Struff in the third round, winning 93 per cent of points on his first serve in the 94-minute match.
“I stayed pretty clean in my own service games,” Federer said.
“I think I can be very happy today.”
The world No.2 has now won 29 consecutive sets at Wimbledon, stretching back to last year’s first round. It also marked Federer’s 175th win on grass – a new Open era-record in men’s tennis, surpassing American Jimmy Connors.
Federer faces Adrian Mannarino in the fourth round, a player he owns a 5-0 win-loss record against. The No.22-seeded Frenchman survived a five-set battle against Russian Daniil Medvedev in the third round, winning 6-4 6-3 4-6 5-7 6-3.
Shock losses to some of Federer’s highest-ranked rivals in the opening week of the tournament has left the gentlemen’s singles to draw wide open. Only six of the world’s top 15-ranked players remain.
World No.13 Sam Querrey is the latest big name to be eliminated, with last year’s semifinalist beaten by France’s Gael Monfils in the third round.
Canadian Milos Raonic, a Wimbledon finalist in 2016, is now the only player left in Federer’s half who has previously reached the final four at the All England Club. But the No.13 seed is locked in a tense third round battle with No.171-ranked Austrian qualifier Dennis Novak. The play was suspended with Raonic leading 7-6(5) 4-6 6-5.
World No.10 John Isner avoided an upset, advancing to the fourth round for the first time in his career. The 33-year-old American, who famously won the longest match in history at the tournament in 2010, posted a 6-3 6-3 6-4 win over Moldovia’s Radu Albot. It sets up a clash with Greek teen Stefanos Tsitsipas in the round of 16.
It took Isner 10 attempts to reach a Wimbledon fourth round – but his compatriot Mackenzie McDonald has achieved the feat in his tournament debut. The No.103-ranked 23-year-old defeated Argentina’s Guido Pella, who had stunned No.3 seed Marin Cilic in the second round, 6-4 6-4 7-6(6). McDonald will face the winner of Raonic and Novak.