Roger Federer beats Richard Gasquet again to reach fourth round in Melbourne
The defending champion won his 17th match of 19 meetings with Gasquet.
Roger Federer continued his dominance over Richard Gasquet to march into the fourth round of the Australian Open.
The defending champion went into the encounter with a 16-2 record against his French foe and having won the last eight matches, and there was never any real doubt that he would make it nine in a row.
There were flashes of brilliance from Gasquet, particularly on his famed single-handed backhand, but he could not get a hold on the Federer serve and the Swiss emerged a 6-2 7-5 6-4 winner.
Gasquet did not create his first break point until the 27th game of the match and, although he gave himself hope by getting back on serve, Federer swiftly crushed any thoughts of a comeback.
The second seed said: “I was able to maybe stay a little bit more on the offensive, protecting my serve a little bit better. The match was close and the end could have gone to a tie-break and then you never know. Richard played well and me too, I’m just happy to win tonight.”
Only Federer, who next plays unseeded Hungarian Marton Fucsovics, and world number one Rafael Nadal have reached the fourth round without dropping a set.
