Roger Federer comes through tricky test to make Halle quarter-finals
Thursday 20 June 2019 23:54, UK
Roger Federer was made to work hard by Jo-Wilfried Tsonga at the Halle Open before he sealed a 7-6 (7-5) 4-6 7-5 victory in the second round to continue his charge towards a 10th title at the grass-court tournament.
The 37-year-old Swiss, who has reached the Halle quarter-finals for a 17th time, next meets Roberto Bautista Agut who defeated Frenchman Richard Gasquet 6-1 6-4.
Germany's Alexander Zverev, runner-up in 2016 and 2017, stayed in the hunt for a first Halle title with a 6-3 7-5 victory over Steve Johnson to set up a quarter-final against the unseeded David Goffin.
"I'm definitely happy with how things went," Zverev said, who withdrew from the doubles competition on Tuesday due to a knee problem.
"Obviously my knee is still swollen but the pain is much less than it was a few days ago. I hope when the swelling goes out it will be much better."
Matteo Berrettini, who rallied past Italian compatriot Andreas Seppi 4-6 6-3 6-2, is seeking his third ATP title and second on grass following his success in Stuttgart last week.
Up next for Berrettini is Russian Karen Khachanov who has failed to defeat the big-hitting world No 22 in two previous attempts, including in the second round at Stuttgart.
