Veteran Roger Federer, teen Marketa Vondrousova in French Open last 8
Roger Federer made short work of Argentinian Leonardo Mayer to become the oldest man in 28 years to reach a Grand Slam quarter-final at the French Open last night.
The 37-year-old, playing at Roland Garros for the first time since 2015, claimed a 6-2, 6-3, 6-3 win over world No. 68 Mayer in a sweltering 32 deg C and will face either Greek star Stefanos Tsitsipas or close friend and fellow Swiss Stan Wawrinka in the last eight.
Federer, the 2009 champion in Paris, is the oldest man to make the quarter-finals of a Slam since Jimmy Connors at the 1991 US Open.
"I was prepared for the worst scenario, losing in the first round in three sets," said Federer, who last played the tournament in 2015 when he lost in the quarter-finals to Wawrinka.
"But I am super happy with my performance. I will need to play like this again against either Stan or Tsitsipas."
Meanwhile, Rafael Nadal also reached the quarter-finals after defeating Grand Slam debutant Juan Ignacio Londero of Argentina 6-2, 6-3, 6-3.
In a wide-open women's draw after the shock exits of top seed Naomi Osaka and 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams on Saturday, 19-year-old Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic reached her maiden Major quarter-final by thrashing Anastasija Sevastova 6-2, 6-0 in 59 minutes.
She will face 31st seed Petra Martic, who followed up her third-round upset of second seed Karolina Pliskova by defeating Estonia's Kaia Kanepi 5-7, 6-2, 6-4.
British No. 1 Johanna Konta reached her first Grand Slam quarter-final since Wimbledon 2017 by seeing off Croatia's Donna Vekic 6-2, 6-4.
- AFP
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