LONDON
Swiss tennis maestro Roger Federer breezed past Richard Gasquet to reach the third round of the Wimbledon here at the center court. 39-year-old Federer became the oldest man since Ken Rosewall in 1975 to make the last 32 after his 7-6(1), 6-1, 6-4 victory over Frenchman. In a nervous start for both players, it wasn’t until the tie-break that Federer, who struck 18 winners in the first set, got into full flow. Gasquet, who had performed well, hit his second double fault to conclude the 49-minute set.
The second set was just too easy for Federer as 8 times Wimbledon champion raced through with 5-0 advantage and later hit a sixth ace to clinch the set.Federer continued to threaten Gasquet’s serve in the third set, finally breaking through after the Frenchman mistimed a backhand drop shot at 3-3. Gasquet saved a match point at 3-5, 30/40 with a fine forehand approach and easy put-away. Minutes later Federer struck his 50th winner – an ace-to complete his victory in one hour and 51 minutes.
This was the third time that Federer had faced Gasquet at the All England Club – after a first-round match at the 2006 Championships, and a semi-final in 2007 – and every time he has gone through without dropping a set.