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(Sports Focus) Federer cruises as women's seeds go the distance at the Australian Open

Xinhua, January 24, 2016 Adjust font size:

Roger Federer has pulled out a vintage performance to advance to the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, while seeds Agnieszka Radwanska and Carla Suarez Navarro both came back from a set down to advance to Sunday evening.

The third seeded Federer only managed to get onto center court just before 11pm local time, but showed no signs of fatigue in his straight sets demolition of Belgian No. 15 seed David Goffin.

Federer was in fantastic touch early, winning the first set in just 21 minutes, before consolidating and running away with the match in just one hour and 28 minutes: 6-2, 6-1, 6-4.

The Swiss master said he wasn't fazed by the late start, and said playing a relatively easy match after a tougher tussle two days earlier was a "nice surprise".

"I'm happy I can out and played as well as I did. I couldn't be happier because in practice Goffin gives me a hard time," Federer told the crowd after the win, "It was a nice surprise."

The world No. 3 can blame the delay on 10th seed Carla Suarez Navarro, who had to battle back from a set down to brush aside Australian pocket rocket Daria Gavrilova.

The Spaniard was bageled in the first set but, despite facing a raucous crowd, managed to pull out a comeback win, 0-6, 6-3, 6-2. Suarez Navarro said it was a tough ask to win after going a set down against a local crowd favorite.

"It's difficult when you start like this against this crowd against a local player. But I just believed (in myself)," she said.

The 10th seed will face world No. 4 Agnieszka Radwanska in the quarterfinals after she also battled back from one set down.

The Pole lost the first set to German Anna-Lena Friedsam in a tie-break, but bounced back to take the second 6-1, before her opponent broke down with severe cramping in the last.

Radwanska said Friedsam could well have stolen the match had she not been struck down with injury late in the third set.

"I was a bit lucky in the end, but this is tennis," the No. 4 seed said.

"I'm very glad to be in the quarters. I'm just happy to make it through; I'm doing everything I can to make the final here."

Earlier, World No. 1 Novak Djokovic shook off a dogged five-set challenge from 14th seed Gilles Simon, despite hitting an unprecedented 100 unforced errors throughout the match.

Simon nagged the No. 1 seed the entire match, returning balls and waiting for the champion to make a mistake, with frustrations boiling over in a tense fourth set before the class of the champ came to the fore in the fifth

In the shortest set of the match, the Serb broke early to eventually win: 6-3, 6-7, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3.

Djokovic said he was pleased to win the match despite producing one of his worst on-court performances in recent years.

"Unfortunately you have days like this," he told the press post-match, "It's actually good to win when you play that bad."

Djokovic will play Kei Nishikori in the quarterfinals, while Federer will have Tomas Berdych to contend with, after the Czech also won a tough five set match earlier in the afternoon.

The fourth round of the Australian Open continues in Melbourne on Monday, with Andy Murray, Victoria Azarenka, Angelique Kerber and Stan Wawrinka all in action. Endi