Federer continued his bid for a record-extending ninth Wimbledon title with a comprehensive straight-sets victory; 39-year-old takes on Britain's Cam Norrie next in third round; Medvedev, Zverev and Berrettini also advance at the All England Club
Friday 2 July 2021 08:51, UK
Eight-time champion Roger Federer secured a spot in the third round of Wimbledon for a record 18th time with a straight-sets win over two-time semi-finalist Richard Gasquet.
The 20-time Grand Slam champion recovered from a tentative start to complete a resounding 7-6 (7-1) 6-1 6-4 victory on a sun-bathed Centre Court, to set up a showdown against British No 2 Cam Norrie for a place in the fourth round.
Federer, featuring in just his tenth match in 19 months, survived a major scare in his opener against Adrian Mannarino, but he produced some vintage tennis in the latter stages against Gasquet to record a remarkable 103rd victory at the All England Club.
"I know Richard really well, we've played so many times against each other, he's got such a wonderful backhand," Federer reflected post-match.
"After he ripped that down the line, I thought maybe I can do something similar I'd be happy with and after that, I got on a roll so I'm happy he inspired me on that shot.
"It was a wonderful match for me, I was really happy with my performance today."
Federer was uncharacteristically profligate in the opening stages, registering 12 unforced errors in the opening seven games.
However, after prevailing in a one-sided tie-breaker, he began to dictate proceedings and overwhelmed the 35-year-old Frenchman with his intensity and punishing groundstrokes.
"The initial goal was to come back for Wimbledon last year, I was never going to make that, I was going to be walking around the court if Wimbledon happened so this is nice that I made it, it gave me a chance to be here."
"It's not the most important to feel your absolute best in the first and second round, what you don't want to do is go out. I'm in the third round, I'm really happy with my level right now, today was special and I'm happy with that," Federer added.
"It's been a difficult year and a half in many ways for me, with the double knee surgery and the rehab and everything.
"The initial goal was to come back for Wimbledon last year, I was never going to make that, I was going to be walking around the court if Wimbledon happened so this is nice that I made it, it gave me a chance to be here."
Federer had enjoyed a decade of dominance against Gasquet - winning his last 10 matches and 22 sets against the 35-year-old Frenchman.
Gasquet had the opportunity to curtail that streak after forcing an opening set tie-break, but Federer ran out a convincing 7-1 winner, and he never looked back.
The Swiss icon began to nullify his opponent's imperious backhand, although Gasquet still produced moments of quality - a stunning 102mph backhand winner down the line an obvious highlight, following a brutal overhead from Federer.
Nevertheless, the 39-year-old raced to set two in just 27 minutes, and while Gasquet provided greater resistance in the third, Federer claimed the all-important break at 3-3, and cemented his advantage with some relentless serving to seal his progression in style.
World No 2 Daniil Medvedev was in imperious form as he dispatched exciting Spanish teenager Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets, to set up a clash against former finalist Marin Cilic in round three.
Medvedev, who has not been beyond the third round at SW19, remarkably won 95 per cent of points behind his first serve, as he closed out a 6-4 6-1 6-2 victory in 97 minutes on No 1 Court.
Fourth seed Alexander Zverev continued his fine start to this year's Championships with an emphatic straight-sets victory over Tennys Sandgren.
The German fired down 13 aces, landed 72 per cent of his first serves and struck 36 winners to close out a 7-5 6-2 6-3 success in one hour and 45 minutes on No.2 Court.
Zverev only relinquished eight points on his first serve, and he'll face 31st seed Taylor Fritz, who recorded an incredible five-set victory over his compatriot Steve Johnson, despite undergoing knee surgery less than a month ago.
Seventh seed Matteo Berrettini maintained his perfect record on grass in 2021 with a hard-fought 6-3 6-4 7-6 (7-4) win over Botic Van de Zandschulp on Thursday afternoon.
The Queen's Club champion landed 20 aces to overcome the spirited Dutchman in 2 hours and 17 minutes, and he will now face Slovenia's Aljaz Bedene, who raced past Yoshihito Nishioka in just 84 minutes.
Elsewhere, Nick Kyrgios continued his return from injury with an entertaining straight-sets success against Italy's Gianluca Mager.
The enigmatic Australian delivered some brutal groundstrokes and accepted impromptu coaching tips from a female spectator, but he needed no such intervention, completing a 7-6 (8-6) 6-4 6-4 win; featuring 29 aces and 48 winners.
Don't forget to follow us on skysports.com/tennis, our Twitter account @skysportstennis & Sky Sports - on the go! Available to download now on - iPhone & iPad and Android
