Australian Open: Murray, Federer advance to fourth round

Three-time finalist Andy Murray advanced to the fourth round at the Australian Open for the sixth straight year with a 7—6 (2), 6—4, 6—2 win over No. 26-seeded Feliciano Lopez of Spain on Saturday.

Murray, playing only his second tournament since minor back surgery in September, was only broken once in a 2-hour, 15-minute match.

Fourth-seeded Murray, who broke some Grand Slam droughts for British men when he won the U.S. Open in 2012 and Wimbledon last year, is still aiming for his first Australian title. He has lost the finals at Melbourne Park in three of the last four years.

Federer steamrolls Gabashvili

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.