Swiss tennis star Roger Federer defeated Grigor Dimitrov to win his 300 Grand Slam match and safely reached the fourth round at the Australian Open on Friday.
It took the 17-time major winner two hours and 40 minutes as he powered home winning 6-4 3-6 6-1 6-4 under the closed roof on Rod Laver Arena, and will face Belgium’s 15th seed David Goffin in the next round.
Federer becomes the first man to win 300 Grand Slam matches. Martina Navratilova, with 306, is the only player to have won more at majors.
Last year, Federer was knocked out in the third round by Italian Andreas Seppi, but he ensured there was no repeat this time at the same stage.
However, it wasn’t an entirely convincing display from the four-time Australian Open winner, who committed an uncharacteristic 55 unforced effort, compared to Dimitrov’s 44.
“It was a difficult position for me after losing the second set and Grigor was playing well,” Federer said. “I thought I was struggling a little bit. I didn’t feel it was really happening out there and it was an important start for me to the third set.
“Thankfully, I got the early break and I was able to stay in the lead and everything started to come back: the serve, my footwork… It was complicated, but those matches are even nicer to win, I must say.”
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