Skip to main content

Federer thrashes Fognini to reach round three at Wimbledon

June 28, 2012 -- Updated 1027 GMT (1827 HKT)
Roger Federer hardly had to break sweat as he cruised past Italy's Fabio Fognini on day three at Wimbledon.
Roger Federer hardly had to break sweat as he cruised past Italy's Fabio Fognini on day three at Wimbledon.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • Third seed Roger Federer thrashes Italy's Fabio Fognini in second round at Wimbledon
  • Federer wins 6-1 6-3 6-2 in just 74 minutes to set up clash with Julien Benneteau
  • Federer bidding to equal Pete Sampras' record of seven Wimbledon titles
  • World No. 1 Novak Djokovic on course to meet Federer in semis after late win

(CNN) -- Roger Federer breezed through to the third round of Wimbledon, losing only five games on his way to victory over Italy's Fabio Fognini on Wednesday.

No player in the current game has won more times on grass than the six-time champion, who glided through without breaking sweat as he thrashed Fognini 6-1 6-3 6-2 in just 74 minutes -- five minutes quicker than Federer's first-round win over Spaniard Albert Ramos.

The rain that caused day three of Wimbledon to be delayed for three hours came too late to trouble third seed Federer, but the All England Club's $125 million retractable roof meant no-one in the Centre Court crowd would have noticed anyway.

Wimbledon's closed roof made for a fascinating atmosphere on Centre Court later in the day, but Federer was already showered and changed and thinking of a third round meeting with France's Julien Benneteau -- who beat American Michael Russell -- as he bids to equal Pete Sampras' record of seven Wimbledon titles.

Defending champion Novak Djokovic continued his march to yet another semifinal against Federer as he secured his third-round place with a 6-4 6-4 6-4 win over 20-year-old American Ryan Harrison that finished as the evening light waned.

Great detail is taken as grounds crews prepare Centre Court for Sunday's historic match between Roger Federer and Andy Murray in the Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London. Federer is seeking to tie the record for most men's singles titles at Wimbledon, and Murray is shooting to become the first British male to win his nation's major singles championship in 76 years. See the action as it unfolds here, and visit CNN.com/tennis for complete coverage.<br/><br/> Great detail is taken as grounds crews prepare Centre Court for Sunday's historic match between Roger Federer and Andy Murray in the Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London. Federer is seeking to tie the record for most men's singles titles at Wimbledon, and Murray is shooting to become the first British male to win his nation's major singles championship in 76 years. See the action as it unfolds here, and visit CNN.com/tennis for complete coverage.

Wimbledon: The best photos
HIDE CAPTION
<<
<
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
>
>>
Wimbledon: The best photos Wimbledon: The best photos
Andy Murray's secret weapon
Who will taste Wimbledon glory?
Janko Tipsarevic's goal for Wimbledon

The Serbian, who has faced Federer in 16 semis and six finals in their last 22 meetings, will next play either veteran Czech 28th seed Radek Stepanek or Germany's Benjamin Becker for a last-16 place.

"It was great to be under the roof once again," said the world No. 1. "I thought he played really well. He had his chances in the second set.

"But other than that game I thought I served really well. I was winning comfortably in my service games, which is an encouraging fact for the next rounds."

His compatriot, eighth seed Janko Tipsarevic, followed up his first-round win over David Nalbandian by dropping the first set of his game against American Ryan Sweeting before coming through in four sets 5-7 7-5 6-4 6-2.

Tipsarevic will next play Russian 26th seed Mikhail Youzhny, who ended the hopes of grand slam debutant Inigo Cervantes of Spain.

Spanish 12th seed Nicolas Almagro reached the third round for the third time, beating 22-year-old Wimbledon first-timer Guillaume Rufin 6-2 5-7 6-2 6-4.

Almagro will next play another Frenchman after 18th seed Richard Gasquet defeated Belgian left-hander Rubens Bemelmans in straight sets. Gasquet should provide a tougher test, having reached the semifinals in 2007 and the fourth round on three other occasions.

Argentina's 15th seed Juan Monaco was made to work hard for his victory over Frenchman Jeremy Chardy, winning 6-2 3-6 6-3 7-6 (7-3) to set up a clash with another Serbian, Viktor Troicki.

Florian Mayer, the 31st seed, also went through in four sets as he beat fellow German Phillipp Petzschner 3-6 6-4 6-2 6-4 to set up a clash with Polish debutant Jerzy Janowicz.

The 21-year-old brought Ernests Gulbis back to earth following the Latvian's first-round win over Czech sixth seed Tomas Berdych as he triumphed 9-7 in the fifth set.

ADVERTISEMENT
Part of complete coverage on
May 1, 2013 -- Updated 1129 GMT (1929 HKT)
She towers above him, but she can't do without him. Meet the man who has made Maria Sharapova the world's wealthiest female athlete.
April 22, 2013 -- Updated 1511 GMT (2311 HKT)
When Maria Sharapova underwent shoulder surgery five years ago, many thought her tennis career wouldn't last.
April 18, 2013 -- Updated 1258 GMT (2058 HKT)
Nine-year-old Rebecca Suarez stunned onlookers when she was pulled out of the crowd to team up with Del Potro against Nadal.
April 18, 2013 -- Updated 2115 GMT (0515 HKT)
Janko Tipsarevic is of the belief that his fellow professionals aren't doping -- or at least not on a widespread basis.
March 21, 2013 -- Updated 1429 GMT (2229 HKT)
Agnieszka and Urszula Radwanska are hoping to take their relationship to a new level by emulating tennis' most famous sisters.
March 26, 2013 -- Updated 1324 GMT (2124 HKT)
Open Court meets Poland's world No. 4 Agniezska Radwanska, who's making waves on the women's tennis scene.
March 21, 2013 -- Updated 1402 GMT (2202 HKT)
America's 18-time grand slam champion Chris Evert talks to Open Court about her career and training the next generation of players.
March 21, 2013 -- Updated 1344 GMT (2144 HKT)
CNN's Don Riddell speaks with 11-time grand slam champion Rafael Nadal during one of his comeback tournaments in Mexico.
March 21, 2013 -- Updated 1411 GMT (2211 HKT)
Germany's veteran star Tommy Haas opens up to Pat Cash about being away from family on tour, and his many injuries.
March 11, 2013 -- Updated 1150 GMT (1950 HKT)
End of match
You'd think John Isner and Nicolas Mahut would be sick of the sight of each other, but their friendship has grown since that epic match.
March 4, 2013 -- Updated 1608 GMT (0008 HKT)
Almost a decade after Andy Roddick's sole U.S. Open victory, America is still waiting for its next male grand slam winner. What's gone wrong?
February 21, 2013 -- Updated 1621 GMT (0021 HKT)
Open Court's Pat Cash meets American No. 1 John Isner, who experts claim has the potential to win a grand slam.
February 25, 2013 -- Updated 0917 GMT (1717 HKT)
CNN's Pat Cash looks at who the next U.S. grand slam champion might be.
February 21, 2013 -- Updated 1545 GMT (2345 HKT)
CNN's Patrick Snell looks at how the famous couple is helping groom the next generation of tennis stars.
February 25, 2013 -- Updated 1009 GMT (1809 HKT)
With his sights set on the top, Ryan Harrison is the youngest player to win a professional match in 20 years.
February 21, 2013 -- Updated 1612 GMT (0012 HKT)
He's "Mac the Mouth" both on and off the court -- one of the most controversial and iconic players in tennis history, and he's still talking up a storm.
January 29, 2013 -- Updated 1131 GMT (1931 HKT)
Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray have transformed their careers since discovering a diet secret that is battling for mainstream acceptance.
January 28, 2013 -- Updated 1500 GMT (2300 HKT)
Novak Djokovic knew he was going to be a tennis star from an early age when growing up in war-torn Belgrade.
January 17, 2013 -- Updated 1325 GMT (2125 HKT)
Maria Sharapova
Nine women, a bold proposal and a $1 bill. That was what it took for women's tennis to begin a 40-year journey of self-empowerment.
ADVERTISEMENT