Roger Federer won his 26th Grand Slam match in a row on Tuesday as he defeated Croatian Mario Ancic 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 to take a step closer to an expected final showdown with reigning champion Rafael Nadal.
Federer was dominant against Ancic, who sought treatment for a shoulder problem, and then again called for the doctor to discuss an issue before returning to court in the third set.
The Swiss world number one, bidding to win his fourth straight major, will face the winner of the David Nalbandian and Nikolay Davydenko quarterfinal for a place in the final.
Federer is hoping to complete a non-calendar year Grand Slam while currently holding the Wimbledon, US Open and Australian Open crowns.
His afternoon against Ancic was straightforward, with conversions of four of 18 break-point opportunities sufficient to get the job done in two hours 17 minutes against the player who put him out in the Wimbledon first round four years ago.
”It was a good match for me,” said Federer, who has a 43-3 win-loss record this year, with all three of his losses coming against Nadal in finals.
”It’s tough to play Mario, he has a huge serve. [But] it’s great to be in another semifinal; Roland Garros is my main objective this season.” — AFP
