Long in the shadow of the Swiss master, Dimitrov played some irresistible tennis to prise a set but was powerless to maintain the intensity under a closed roof at Rod Laver Arena.
Federer, however, simply lifted a gear, taming an occasionally wayward forehand before speeding away from the Bulgarian player nicknamed 'Baby Fed'.
Capturing an early break in the final set, four-time champion Federer sealed the match with an imperious forehand to set up a clash with another young gun in Belgian David Goffin. (Reporting by Ian Ransom; Editing by Patrick Johnston)
Sharapova re-dresses for success to reach fourth round
Former champion Maria Sharapova found inspiration in a change of dress to put away unseeded American Lauren Davis 6-1 6-7(5) 6-0 at the Australian Open on Friday and set up an intriguing fourth round match with rising Swiss talent Belinda Bencic.
Up 2-0 in the second set and closing in on victory, the Russian's serve crumbled, allowing Davis to reel off five consecutive games and eventually capture a tense second set tiebreak.
Fifth seed Sharapova left the court for a lengthy comfort break between sets but re-emerged with a fresh outfit and a renewed focus, and proceeded to hammer the hapless American.
Bashing consecutive aces with her first two serves, Sharapova roared through without dropping a game, closing out the match when her 103rd-ranked opponent swiped a backhand long.
"I don't have a chat in the mirror, I think I get fined for that," Sharapova said courtside of her trip to the locker-room.
"I changed my dress and felt a little bit lighter which made me move better. But other than that, that's all I can share."
Pain-free Nishikori earns chance to avenge Tsonga loss
Japan's Kei Nishikori played down a problem with his right wrist after outlasting Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 7-5 2-6 6-3 6-4 to move into the last 16 of the Australian Open on Friday.
The seventh seed had some trouble with the joint in the early part of the match when his Spanish opponent mounted his sternest challenge but by the end of the two hour, 12 minute encounter, was playing at his free-flowing best.
"It was little bit sore in the beginning, but after the treatment it was fine. I'm sure it's going to be okay," he said.
"It was a really tough match. There were many long rallies. I have to give a lot of credit to him, because he was hitting really hard. I thought he was going to hit more spin, but he was hitting a lot of flat balls and it was going in. It was tough to play."
The 26-year-old served out to love for victory, a fierce forehand winner to the left, a sumptuous top-spin forehand winner to the right and an ace giving him three-match points, the first of which he converted when Garcia-Lopez netted.
source: www.abs-cbnnews.com
