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After an early scare, Roger Federer ousted Marton Fucsovics 4-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 in two hours and 11 minutes to reach the record-breaking 15th Australian Open quarter-final. It was Melbourne Park's 101st victory for Roger, who left the rival far behind after the opener to find himself in the last eight.
Federer won 26 points more than Fucsovics, fending off seven out of nine break chances and delivering seven breaks to control the pace in sets two, three and four. The Swiss had the upper hand with over 40 winners, beating the Hungarian in the mid-range and most extended exchanges to race into the quarters.
Marton made the better start, dropping only seven points on serve in the first set and earning one break to grab an early lead. Both players served well until game seven when Marton converted the third break chance with a forced error and produced two excellent holds in games eight and ten to grab the opener 6-4 in 36 minutes.
Still struggling to find the first serve, Marton couldn't shifted the numbers from the opener into the second set, getting broken twice and allowing Roger to take it 6-1. Federer held at love in the first game with a forehand drive-volley winner and broke Marton in game two when the Hungarian sent a forehand long.
In game three, a forehand winner pushed Roger 3-0 up, looking much sharper on the court than in the first part of the encounter. Fucsovics reduced the deficit to 1-3 with a service winner and created a break chance in the next one that Roger saved with a well-constructed attack, bringing the game home with a forehand down the line winner and increasing the advantage to 4-1.
Roger Federer toppled Marton Fucsovics for the 15th Australian Open QF.
Finding the range on the return, Federer blasted another forehand down the line winner to grab the second break and move 5-1 up, closing the set a few minutes later with a service winner and improving his chances of reaching the quarters after 63 minutes.
The first serve worked against both players in set number three, and it was Roger who played better when it mattered the most, seizing three break chances and suffering one break for a 6-2. Marton got broken in the first game after a mediocre drop shot that couldn't pass the net, with Federer holding at 15 to confirm the break and establish the advantage.
In those moments, the Swiss ruled the court, landing a forehand winner in the third game to move further in front and repelling two break chances in the next one to forge a 4-0 advantage and take a big step towards the finish line.
Fucsovics held at 15 in the fifth game with a service winner and earned two break points in game six following a forehand error from Roger, converting the second after a backhand error from world no. 3 to pull one break back.
Returning in game seven, Federer clinched the third break of the set with a beautiful backhand crosscourt winner and served for the victory. The Swiss seized the third match point in game eight with a service winner, happy with how he performed and hoping for more of the same against Tennys Sandgren.