.
Fritz stood no chance against the rival who lost just ten points on serve, creating no break points and finding it hard to deal with Federer even in his service games, dropping almost 40% of the points in his games and suffering five breaks from nine chances he offered to the Swiss.
Taylor did hit more winners than unforced errors although he couldnt match Rogers 34-14 ratio, as the six-time Melbourne champion had the upper hand in both the serving department and in the rallies with his deep and sharp groundstrokes that left Taylor unarmed in the most of the encounter.
Roger was on another level right from the very first point of the match, finding his range instantly and losing one point behind the initial shot to mount all the pressure on Taylor. The youngster kicked off the show with an excellent hold but he got broken at 15 in the third game after a well-constructed attack from Roger and again at 1-3 when he netted a forehand to push Roger further in front.
Serving for the set at 5-2, Federer held at love with an ace down the T line, conquering the first part of the match in just 20 minutes. Fritz fought better in set number two after delivering his serve and forehand, saving an early break point to gain the momentum and staying in touch with a great rival until 5-5 when Roger fired a forehand winner to earn the significant lead, securing the set with a hold at 15 for a 7-5.
Another ace down the T line finished the job for Federer in that 12th game and he was 6-2, 7-5 up after just 62 minutes, doing just about everything right and unfolding the match on own terms. The American stood no chance in the third set as well, barely winning a point on the return and he suffered a break when Federer unleashed a forehand down the line in the third game that Taylor failed to control.
Another break at 3-1 cemented the win for the defending champion who crossed the finish line with a fine hold in the eighth game to enter the last 16 for the 17th time at Melbourne Park. <table