Federer towers over Karlovic, reaches quarter-finals

GOING AHEAD: Roger Federer waves to fans after defeating Ivo Karlovic in the third round at the Rome Masters.

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Rome: Roger Federer picked his shots carefully to get by towering Ivo Karlovic 7-6 (4), 6-3 on Thursday and reach the quarter-finals of the Rome Masters.

The top-ranked Federer improved to 6-0 in his career against the 2.08-meter (6-foot-10) Croat.

"It's difficult to judge against him. Ivo has an unbelievable serve, probably the best we have in the game," Federer said. "And he comes to the net too, so there's always a lot of pressure."

Karlovic served 12 aces, routinely registering above 210 kph (136 mph) on the radar gun.

Federer tried to lob Karlovic early on, but eventually discovered that his best solution was to aim for passing shots.

In the first-set tiebreaker, Federer took control with a return winner off Karlovic's first serve to go up 6-4, then closed out the set by making Karlovic reach too far for a volley.

Federer landed a forehand on the line to finally break Karlovic's serve and take a 3-2 lead in the second set, then broke again to close out the match when Karlovic missed a volley.

Federer will next face Radek Stepanek, who defeated Peruvian qualifier Luis Horna 6-4, 1-6, 6-3.

Also advancing was third-ranked Novak Djokovic, who survived a mid-match scare from Igor Andreev before eliminating the Russian 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.

Djokovic stopped taking medication for strep throat on Tuesday, and he appeared sluggish in the second set on a warm day at the Foro Italico.

"I knew it was going to be a tough match," Djokovic said. "He plays his best tennis on clay."

At the Monte Carlo Masters last month, Djokovic pulled out of his semi-final match against Federer, citing dizziness and a sore throat.

The Australian Open winner will now play Spanish clay-court specialist Nicolas Almagro, who advanced with a walkover when No. 12 Fernando Gonzalez pulled out with a right leg injury.

Gonzalez was the runner-up to Rafael Nadal last year and was coming off a title in Munich, Germany, last weekend.