World number one Roger Federer cruised into the Halle Open quarter-finals with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Florian Mayer on Thursday.
The Swiss Wimbledon champion, going for a third successive victory at the German grass-court event, was at his imperious best in the first set, breaking local favourite Mayer twice.
But the young German, ATP newcomer of the year in 2004, gave the crowd something to cheer about in the second set when he broke Federer twice to lead 4-3.
The Swiss was more than equal to the challenge, however, even allowing himself an uncharacteristic whoop of joy after one particularly fierce forehand winner down the line gave him a break back.
Federer, who is also aiming for a third consecutive Wimbledon title when the tournament gets under way on June 20, faces Germany's Philipp Kohlschreiber in the quarters.
