Federer reaches last eight | Tennis

Roger Federer advances to the quarter finals of the Australian Open with four-set win over Tommy Robredo

• AAP
• January 23, 2011 5:13PM

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Tough luck, Tommy ... Federer was too strong for the stubborn Spaniard. Source: Michael Dodge / News Limited

Roger Federer is through to his 27th straight grand slam quarter final as he continues his charge through the Australian Open.

T. Robredo vs R. Federer

Australian Open: Mens Singles
Round 4, 23/01/11

ESP Rob	3	6	3	2
SUI Fed (2)	6	3	6	6

The No.2 seed beat Spain's Tommy Robredo 6-3 3-6 6-3 6-2 in their fourth round match on Sunday to maintain his remarkable run of grand slam consistency and equal Jimmy Connors' record.
Of his 26 previous quarter-final appearances, Federer has converted 24 into semis, gone on to reach 20 finals and won 14 of them.
The last time he missed a quarter final was the 2004 French Open, but his path to the final eight at Melbourne Park on Sunday was not totally convincing, however, as his game was littered with unforced errors and lapses in concentration.
Federer handed Robredo the second set in one lazy service game, but shook off the lethargy in the third and fourth sets.
"At 4-3 down in the second I probably didn't have the best of games," he said,

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"That's the way it goes sometimes, we don't have much margin at the top and that showed."
The Swiss lifted his intensity and spent more time at the net as he vowed to be more aggressive in the third and fourth sets.
"It was a big game to go 2-0 in the third and I was able to cruise a little toward the end of the fourth," he said.
"It was a tough match, I'm sweating bullets right now."
In the quarter final, he will play either eighth seed Andy Roddick or his Swiss Olympic teammate Stanislas Warwinka.