Melbourne, Australia: Four-time champion Roger Federer has advanced to the fourth round at the Australian Open for the 13th consecutive year following a 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 win Saturday over Teymuraz Gabashvili.
The win may be a good omen for the sixth-seeded Federer. The only other time the two have played -- in the first round at Wimbledon in 2007, when the Russian also lost in straight sets -- Federer went on to win the title.
Federer was back in familiar territory Saturday at Rod Laver Arena. On Thursday, he won his second-round match at the secondary Hisense Arena, the first time in a decade that Federer was not given prime billing at the 15,000-seat Rod Laver where he had played his previous 63 consecutive Australian Open matches.
