Roger Federer stretches Wimbledon streak to 29 sets with win
Canadian Milos Raonic tied with Dennis Novak at a set apiece before darkness suspends play
Roger Federer won 37 of 40 first-serve points and stretched his Wimbledon winning streak to 29 sets in a 6-3, 7-5, 6-2 third-round victory over 64th-ranked Jan-Lennard Struff of Germany.
A year ago, Federer became the first man since Bjorn Borg in 1976 to win the title without dropping a set.
Federer's best run at the All England Club is 35 consecutive sets, from 2005 to 2006.
The eight-time champion and No. 1 seed next faces 22nd-seeded Adrian Mannarino of France, who beat Daniil Medvedev 6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 5-7, 6-3.
In his 200th Tour-level grass court match, <a href="https://twitter.com/rogerfederer?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@rogerfederer</a> makes light work of progressing to the fourth round of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Wimbledon?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Wimbledon</a>, beating Jan-Lennard Struff 6-3, 7-5, 6-2 <a href="https://t.co/Yrk9OweKAt">pic.twitter.com/Yrk9OweKAt</a>
—@Wimbledon"I really take every match one at a time, not necessarily as it will be my last, but I try hard every time," Federer told BBC afterward. "I will never underestimate any opponent.
"Regardless of how many matches I've played at Wimbledon, and especially on Centre Court, it is such a wonderful feeling playing out there. It is the most special court in the world for me."
Raonic match suspended
Milos Raonic will have to wait another day to finish his third-round match at Wimbledon.
The Canadian split the first two sets with Australian qualifier Dennis Novak and was up 6-5 in the third set before darkness halted play on Friday night. The match is scheduled to conclude on Saturday.
Raonic, the No. 13 seed from Thornhill, Ont., won the first set 7-6 (5) before Novak bounced back with a 6-4 victory in the second set.
The match was moved to a smaller court because previously scheduled matches on Court 1 ran long.
The win in the opening set was Raonic's fourth consecutive tiebreak win at the tournament. He won 7-6 (4), 7-6 (4), 7-6 (4) in the second round against Australia's John Millman.
The winner of the Raonic-Novak match will face American Mackenzie McDonald. The world's 103rd-ranked player is off to the fourth round after beating Argentina's Guido Pella 6-4. 6-4, 7-6 (6).
Serena Williams into 4th round
Serena Williams ran her Wimbledon winning streak to 17 matches and moved into the fourth round with a 7-5, 7-6 (2) victory over 62nd-ranked Kristina Mladenovic of France, thanks in part to 13 aces.
Seven of Williams' 23 Grand Slam singles titles have come at the All England Club, including the last two times she played in the grass-court tournament, in 2015 and 2016. She sat out Wimbledon last year while pregnant.
The 36-year-old American will face another mother in the fourth round Monday: 120th-ranked qualifier Evgeniya Rodina of Russia, who upset No. 10 seed Madison Keys of the U.S.
Williams is the only past Wimbledon champion remaining in the field. Her sister, five-time champion Venus, lost Friday, while Petra Kvitova, Maria Sharapova and Garbine Muguruza were eliminated earlier.
Williams's sister Venus, a five-time Wimbledon champion, could not pull off a third consecutive comeback, instead joining the parade of top-10 seeds on the way out of the Grand Slam tournament.
No. 9 seed Williams lost to No. 20 Kiki Bertens of the Netherlands 6-2, 6-7 (5), 8-6 in the third round.
Isner hits 21 aces
Ninth-seeded John Isner of the U.S. reached Wimbledon's fourth round for the first time, beating 98th-ranked Radu Albot of Moldova 6-3, 6-3, 6-4.
Isner hit 21 aces and never faced a break point.
This is his 10th appearance at the All England Club; he had reached the third round three other times and lost at that stage. Isner will face No. 31 Stefanos Tsitsipas for a quarter-final berth.
With files from The Canadian Press