Federer eases past Dolgopolov at Open

Roger Federer was near flawless as he marched into the third round of the Australian Open on Wednesday with a straight-sets victory over Ukraine’s Alexander Dolgopolov.

At no stage in the match did Federer find himself down a single break point.

The key moment came in the 11th game of the second set when Dolgopolov made a hash of an ill-advised drop shot, opening the door for Federer to break for 6-5.

The final set was largely one-way traffic as the No.3 seed went on to win 6-3 7-5 6-1.

“I’m very happy,” said the four-time Australian Open champion.

“The conditions are extremely quick so you’re not going to find that much rhythm.

“I thought I served great.

“As the match went on I felt better and better, but the second set was clearly crucial.”

Kei Nishikori also eased into the round of 32 with a straight-sets win over American Austin Krajicek.

The No.7 seed eclipsed his long-time friend and training partner 6-3 7-6 (7-5) 6-3.

Nishikori’s best result at Melbourne Park is the quarter-finals, which he reached in 2012 and 2015.

He will next face the winner of the clash between German qualifier Daniel Brands and Spanish 26th seed Guillermo Garcia-Lopez.

Belgian No.15 David Goffin is also through to the third round but not before suffering the indignity of a bagel in the second set of his clash with Bosnian Damir Dzumhur.

But Goffin recovered quickly, going on to win 6-4 0-6 6-4 6-2.

His third-round opponent will be Austrian No. 19 seed Dominic Thiem, who trounced Spaniard Nicolas Almagro 6-3 6-1 6-3.

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