Greg Garber, Senior Writer 8y

Roger Federer advances to Aussie Open quarters for record 12th time

No. 3 seed Roger Federer efficiently beat David Goffin 6-2, 6-1, 6-4 on Sunday to reach the Australian Open quarterfinals for an unprecedented 12th time.

It will be Federer's 47th appearance in the final eight of a Grand Slam, extending his Open era record well beyond No. 2 Jimmy Connors (41) and No. 3 Andre Agassi (36). The Swiss star also becomes the oldest man to reach the Aussie quarters since Agassi (100 days older) did it 11 years ago.

Federer, 34, needed only 88 minutes to dispatch the No. 15-seeded Belgian in the late hour. Federer didn't step on the court at Rod Laver Arena until nearly 11 p.m., local time because earlier No. 1 seed Novak Djokovic went the maximum five sets with Gilles Simon in a match that ran 4 hours, 32 minutes.

As it turned out, Federer's match actually ended early Monday morning in Melbourne. On Tuesday, he'll meet No. 6 seed Tomas Berdych, whose match against Roberto Bautista Agut also ran long -- 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 1-6, 6-3, lasting 3:18.

Federer is 15-6 in head-to-head matches against Berdych. But while Federer has won the past four meetings, Berdych has won their past two Grand Slam matches, at the US Open in 2012 and Wimbledon in 2010.

Because of Federer's efficiency, he should be well rested. Before his fourth-round match, Federer's 72-minute first-round victory over Nikoloz Basilashvili was the shortest non-retirement win on the men's side of the tournament. In fact, both of those matches were shorter than the 94-minute frame played by Andreas Seppi and Teymuraz Gabashvili in the first round. Caroline Wozniacki and Yulia Putintseva played an 88-minute set in the first round.

Goffin, 25, was trying to become the first Belgian man to reach the quarters at the Australian Open. Goffin, who played reasonably well under the difficult circumstances, is now 0-4 against Federer. Reaching the fourth round equaled his best Grand Slam effort.

Federer won 86 percent of his first-serve points and was broken only once. He was remarkably clean, hitting 39 winners and only 20 unforced errors; Goffin had 17 and 23, respectively.

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