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Roger Federer had no intention to keep the Center Court crowd hooked to their seats for long as the dramas of the first two matches were enough for the day.
The 2002 champion Lleyton Hewitt was left heartbroken after he surrendered a two set lead to Robin Soderling in a classic five set encounter.
More drama was scheduled to follow when the reigning Roland Garros queen Li Na was sent home packing by a 21- year-old wildcard entry Sabine Lisicki in another grueling three set duel.
The third match started around 8pm, and though the Center Court was closed and the arc lights permitted for late night matches, Roger was not in a mood to come back to the court on Friday to complete the proceedings. It took him just 88 minutes to dispatch France’s Adrian Mannarino 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 and secure a place in the third round.
He won the first game to love with barely 60 seconds elapsed on the clock and raced to a 3-0 lead before his opponent managed to be on the scoreboard. He sprinted to a 1-0 lead in the match in 25 minutes. The second set began with a break of serve in the opening service game.
There were flashes of brilliance from Mannarino and full credit to him for managing to create three break point opportunities for himself while Federer was serving at 5-3 to take a commanding lead in the set. Federer upped the ante and sealed the set. The third set was just a formality.
Federer’s ace count touched the double digit figures at 11 and it was not until the 24th point on Federer’s serve, that the Frenchman managed to win a point against it. The Basel native hit 38 winners to just 10 unforced errors in the 88 minute rout of his opponent.
A seven games loss en route his second round victory signals his title intent and the next hurdle in his bid for a seventh title at SW19 lurks in the form of the Argentine David Nalbandian.
Though their head-to-head record tilts slightly in favor of the Swiss at 10-8, it will be their first grass court meeting.
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