Roger Federer beats Kevin Anderson as Rafa Nadal crashes out in Cincinatti
Friday 21 August 2015 08:45, UK
Roger Federer made light work of claiming a quarter-final place at the Cincinnati Masters as he defeated Kevin Anderson 6-1 6-1 but the Swiss star won't meet Rafa Nadal in the last eight after he was shocked by Feliciano Lopez.
The Swiss 17-time Grand Slam winner – a six-time champion in Ohio – had not dropped a set in any of his three prior meetings with Anderson and he delivered his most emphatic performance yet against the South African to win in just 54 minutes.
Federer hit 23 winners and had just eight unforced errors in a dominant performance as he kept his bid for a seventh Cincinnati final on track.
The 34-year-old claimed victory on his fourth match point when his opponent put a forehand into the net and he was happy with the way he progressed.
He said: "(It) definitely felt better than other days. Felt good on the return, felt good on the serve, seeing just the ball really well.
"It's a pleasure to play that way because it doesn't happen very often that you feel this good. You've got to enjoy it, but then, unfortunately, you have to quickly put it behind you and look forward."
Surprise win
Federer will meet Feliciano Lopez in the next round after he recorded a surprise 5-7 6-4 7-6 (7-3) victory against his fellow Spaniard Rafa Nadal.
Lopez will be looking for his first win over Federer after losing their previous 11 meetings but he will go into the match with confidence after just his fourth victory over Nadal.
Nadal spurned three sets points in the first set then two more two games later before finally converting to seize the initiative.
Lopez broke early in the second set, however, and sustained his advantage before levelling when Nadal was too long with a forehand.
Play went with serve throughout the final set before Lopez took victory with his 14th ace of the match.
He said: "It means a lot when you beat such a good player like him. It's not a normal match. It's something different and the atmosphere there when you play against Rafa.
"It's always something special. I think he's playing better, getting better and better. He played good today.
"I mean I was playing really my best today. Doesn't matter the way he played because I was playing so good today."
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