Tennis: Federer in 14th Wimbledon last-eight, Querrey keeps winning

Switzerland's Roger Federer beat USA's Steve Johnson at Wimbledon, making through to his 14th quarter finals at the tournament. PHOTO: REUTERS

LONDON (AFP) - Roger Federer reached his 14th Wimbledon quarter-final and tied Martina Navratilova's all-time Grand Slam record of 306 match wins on Monday.

The seven-time champion achieved his double landmark by seeing off Steve Johnson of the United States 6-2, 6-3, 7-5 in the fourth round on Centre Court.

Federer, the third seed, next takes on Croatia's Marin Cilic for a place in the semi-finals.

Cilic, the ninth seeded Croatian, progressed to his third Wimbledon quarter-final when Japanese fifth seed Kei Nishikori pulled out of their last-16 clash with a rib injury in the second set.

Federer has a 5-1 record over Cilic but the big Croatian stunned the 17-time major champion in the US Open semi-finals in 2014 on his way to his maiden Grand Slam title.

"He blew me off the court in the US Open a few years ago and I hope to get him back," said Federer.

Johnson, playing in his first fourth round at a Slam, was comprehensively out-played in the first two sets.

He rallied to break the 34-year-old Federer in the fourth and sixth games of the third set but the former American college champion was reeled in on both occasions.

"Best of five matches are always tough," added Federer, whose 14th appearance in a Wimbledon quarter-final matches the mark of Jimmy Connors.

"I'm happy with how I played. It wasn't as easy as maybe it looked. Steve has picked up a lot of confidence in the last few weeks and he has a nice game for grass but I think I mixed it up well." Federer has reached the last eight without dropping a set, easing to four successive wins on Centre Court.

"I would never have thought I would win the first four rounds in straight sets. I now need to play my best tennis," he added.

Nishikori pulled out against Cilic suffering from a rib injury at 6-1, 5-1 down.

The 26-year-old confirmed it was the same injury which forced him out of the Halle tournament in the run-up to Wimbledon.

"It got worse after the second round. I couldn't compete today," said Nishikori.

Cilic had taken the first set in just 16 minutes, allowing Nishikori only seven points.

Sam Querrey followed up his shock defeat of Novak Djokovic by beating French veteran Nicolas Mahut 6-4, 7-6 (7/5), 6-4 to reach his first Grand Slam quarter-final.

Querrey, the 28th seed, is the first American in the last-eight at Wimbledon since Mardy Fish in 2011 which was perfect timing for US Independence Day.

Querrey said he still hasn't come down from his stunning upset of Djokovic.

"I'm not going to lie. After the Novak match, I watched every highlight I could over and over. Enjoyed the hell out of that moment," he said.

Querrey will next face Canadian sixth seed Milos Raonic, who came back from two sets down for the first time in his career to beat Belgium's David Goffin.

Raonic, a Wimbledon semi-finalist in 2014, won 4-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4.

Later on, second seed Andy Murray, the 2013 champion, faces Australian 15th seed Kyrgios, who defeated Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon in 2014 on his way to the quarter-finals.

Murray has a 4-0 career lead over the Australian with three of those meetings having come in the majors.

French 12th seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga had needed five sets and four and a half hours to beat John Isner in the third round.

But on Monday he had a quarter-final place wrapped up in just 24 minutes when seventh-seeded compatriot Richard Gasquet quit with a back injury at 2-4 down in the first set.

Tsonga, a semi-finalist in 2011 and 2012, will next face either Kyrgios or Murray.

In an all-Czech match-up, world number 64 Jiri Vesely takes on 10th seed and 2010 runner-up Tomas Berdych.

The winner faces French 32nd seed Lucas Pouille, who made the quarter-finals of a Slam for the first time by seeing off 2011 quarter-finalist Bernard Tomic, 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 6-4, 10-8.

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