Roger Federer sealed a 99th Australian Open victory of his career with a 6-1 6-4 6-1 win over Filip Krajinovic.
The Swiss continued his bid for a 21st grand slam title with an emphatic straight sets win over Filip Krajinovic that lasted 92 minutes.
Next up for Federer is John Millman after the Australian knocked out in-form 31st seed Hubert Hurkacz 6-4 7-5 6-3.
It was a dominating display from the start for Federer as his forehand looked sharp from the very beginning against a dangerous Krajinovic.
Winning 86% of points on his second serve helped Federer as he secured two breaks of serve to win a 19 minute set 6-1.
As for Krajinovic, he was struggling to offer anything to counter-attack Federer’s intensity and pace in the early stages of the match.
Even heading into the net, didn’t help the Serb’s cause as his approaches were met with ridiculous passing shots from the 38 year-old.
Surely not
Remarkable from @rogerfederer #AusOpenpic.twitter.com/54RCrSYfHh
— ATP Tour (@atptour) 22 January 2020
There was some resolve from Krajinovic though after pulling back the early break deficit after capitalising on some Federer forehand errors.
However the resilience from the world number 41 was quickly snuffed out as Federer returned to his best to get the break back and hold serve to seal a two set advantage.
As Krajinovic was struggling with an arm injury, the third seed continued his assault by flattening out the backhand and continuing to be aggressive.
Winning eight of the last nine games secured Federer’s 99th Australian Open victory and a place in the third round in Melbourne.
It was a flawless display against a tricky opponent but Federer knows he will need to keep this level if he has any chance of winning a third Australian Open in four years.
Next up for Federer is John Millman who defeated an in-form Hubert Hurkacz in straight sets to reach the last 32 and the 38 year-old will be looking for revenge after losing to the Aussie at the 2018 US Open.
After the match, Federer was wary of what awaits him on Friday, “He’s a super good guy, unbelievably tough opponent. There aren’t many as fit as him out there,” Federer said.
“They’re the guys I respect the most out there, because they get the most out of their game. I hope it’s going to be a great match with some great rallies.”
