Roger Federer crushes Taylor Fritz to continue Australian Open march

Last year's runner-up Marin Cilic survives two match points to win five-set marathon

By Raz Mirza

Image: Roger Federer put on a vintage performance to demolish Taylor Fritz

Defending Australian Open champion Roger Federer marked his 100th match on Rod Laver Arena by storming past American Taylor Fritz in the third round on Friday.

Federer put on a vintage performance to set up a mouth-watering fourth-round clash with Greek superstar Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Federer was pushed in the second set by 21-year-old American Fritz but pulled off a succession of highlight-reel shots in a 6-2 7-5 6-2 victory, hitting 34 winners in an 88-minute demolition job.

Action from the Australian Open third round with Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Maria Sharapova and Caroline Wozniacki in action.

"I think he played really well there. I actually did too. I thought it was really high-quality tennis," said Federer, who has yet to drop a set this year and came into the Australian Open on the back of victory at the Hopman Cup in Perth.

"This is obviously a different type of match, it being best of five, it being a fourth round of a Slam."

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The 37-year-old Swiss will play in the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the 63rd time against a man through to that stage for just the second time in 20-year-old Tsitsipas.

Image: Stefanos Tsitsipas will take on Federer for a place in the quarter-finals

Tsitsipas is arguably the most exciting young star in tennis and he battled to a 6-3 3-6 7-6 (9-7) 6-4 victory over Nikoloz Basilashvili.

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"I'm happy for him. He's playing so well, and I'm looking forward to the match-up with him. I think it's going to be a good one," Federer said of Tsitsipas.

"I like how he mixes up his game and also comes to the net. So will I. I think we will see some athletic attacking tennis being played."

A resurgent Tomas Berdych is also through to the last 16 for the eighth time in the last nine years here after a 5-7 6-3 7-5 6-4 victory over 18th seed Diego Schwartzman.

Image: Marin Cilic broke Fernando Verdasco's heart with a five-set win

Fernando Verdasco failed to take two match points - including throwing in a double-fault - as he fell to a heartbreaking five-set defeat to last year's runner-up Marin Cilic.

Verdasco, a lefty from Spain seeded 26th, took the first two sets before 2014 US Open champion Cilic rallied to win 4-6 3-6 6-1 7-6 (10-8) 6-3 in a match lasting four hours and 18 minutes.

"It was a tough match. The emotions were up and down," said Cilic, who is into the fourth round at Melbourne for the sixth time. "At two sets down it was a big hill to climb."

Cilic will now face Andy Murray's first-round conqueror Roberto Bautista Agut for a place in the quarter-finals.

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