Tennis: Roger Federer continued to make heavy weather of a straightforward-looking draw at the French Open as he scraped past Nicolas Mahut 6-3 4-6 6-2 7-5 in the third round.
The world number three was not expected to be troubled until a scheduled quarter-final against either Tomas Berdych or Juan Martin Del Potro but, after losing a set to unheralded Romanian Adrian Ungur in round two, he again struggled.
Federer, who has reached 31 consecutive grand slam quarter-finals, breezed through the first set against Frenchman Mahut - most famous, of course, for his Wimbledon epic against John Isner two years ago.
The 30-year-old prefers faster surfaces but he was relishing the challenge of taking on a 16-time slam champion on his home stage and the second set was competitive from the start.
When Mahut brought up his first break point in the 10th game, it was also a set point, and he took it with a searing backhand return winner down the line.
Federer looked a little flat and lacked some of his usual attacking spark but he responded by breaking in the third game of the third set and taking it easily.
The Swiss seemed to be on his way when, after saving a break point in the sixth game, he broke through himself at the very next opportunity. However, Mahut responded with some fine play to break straight back and sow the seeds of doubt once more.
Not for long as it turned out, Federer taking his third chance to move 6-5 ahead and this time serving it out.
The Swiss number three seed will now face Belgian David Goffin who beat Poland's Lukasz Kubot. The 21-year-old becomes the first lucky loser to reach round four at a grand slam since countryman Dick Norman at Wimbledon in 1995.
Goffin, who lost to Portugal’s Joao Sousa in the final round of qualifying and is making his debut in the main draw at a slam, defeated Kubot 7-6 (7/4) 7-5 6-1.
If he manages to pull off the unthinkable against Federer, he will Argentina's Del Potro or seventh seed Berdych, who survived a five-set examination against South Africa's Kevin Anderson to reach the fourth round.
The Czech had lost all four of his previous five-set matches at Roland Garros but fought back from two sets to one down to triumph 6-3 4-6 6-7 (4/7) 6-4 6-4.
Both players received treatment to their thighs in the last set but it was Berdych who secured the only break in the seventh game when Anderson served a double fault.
It was the third meeting between the two this year after they also clashed at the same stage of the Australian Open and in Madrid, with the Czech winning both in straight sets. But Berdych was not surprised to be pushed hard by the 26-year-old, saying: "In Madrid he was the toughest opponent until I got to the semis.
"Today I was expecting a really, really tough one because he's coming up. He's playing well. It was a really, really close game today."
Del Potro was impressive in a 6-3 7-6 (9/7) 6-1 victory over Marin Cilic.