Roger Federer (Photo : Getty Images)
Roger Federer continues his impressive run at the Australian Open 2017 when the Swiss Maestro battles world No. 6 Kei Nishikori in the fourth round of the first Grand Slam event of the year.
Federer may have finally captured his old form in Melbourne as the 35-year-old Swiss continues his remarkable showing at the Australian Open. Federer, who has yet to drop a single set at the event since his opening round victory, displayed yet another masterful performance, defeating Tomas Berdych in the third round, 6-2 6-4 6-4.
"I didn't expect this as such, to be honest, especially not this kind of a scoreline," Federer said, reports the ATP's official website. "Especially not having to save any break points, just always rolling on the serve. That was a big surprise to me. I think it was a great mental test for me to see if I could stay in the match - point for point."
Federer will next face Kei Nishikori, who is on a roll of his own in his last two matches at the tournament. The fifth-seeded Nishikori, who defeated unseeded Lukas Lacko in three sets 6-4 6-4 6-4, admitted it would be "big challenge" facing Federer at the tournament, especially considering the Swiss' form, but the 27-year-old Japanese admitted he is happy to see the 17-time Grand Slam winner back in full health.
"For sure it's not going to be easy [facing Federer]. He was playing great tennis today. I watched only a few points. But it's always great to play Roger. It's a big challenge for me. I'm just happy to play him because I think we needed him on the tour. I'm happy to see him back 100 per cent," Nishikori said.
Federer leads Nishikori by 4-2 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head matchup and has yet to suffer any defeat from the latter since the Miami Masters back in 2014. The winner between the two will face either world No. 1 Andy Murray or Mischa Zverev.
Murray, who bids for his first Australian Open crown after five finals defeat at the event, picked up where he left, cruising past Sam Querrey 6-4 6-2 6-4, while Zverev needed four sets to get over Malek Jaziri, 6-1 4-6 6-3 60.
Live streaming info and score updates
Watch Australian Open 2017 Roger Federer vs Kei Nishikori live via AusOpen.com or Watch ESPN. Live scores will be available during game days at the Australian Open's official website.
