Roger Federer beat longtime Belgian opponent Xavier Malisse 6-3, 6-3, 6-1 and broke the all-time record for men's match victories at the Australian Open in the process here Friday.
The Swiss second seed, the defending champion bidding for his fifth career title at Melbourne Park, notched his 57th win, which puts him one ahead of Swede Stefan Edberg.
Federer won 10 games in a row from 3-1 down in the second set as he moved into the fourth round in 1 hour 45 minutes over the 30-year-old Malisse, who burst onto the tennis scene at the same time as the Swiss more than a decade ago.
The victory moved Federer to an 8-1 mark in their series, where he suffered his lone loss in their initial 1999 meeting in the Davis Cup.
"I thought today was intense, the first two sets almost didn't reflect how tough it could have been," said Federer. "Or how tough it was.
Image: Switzerland's Roger Federer makes a forehand return to Belgium's Xavier Malisse during their third round match at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Friday, Jan. 21, 2011.
Text: IANS
Images: AP
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