Following successful matches in their respective encounters on Wednesday, Roger Federer and Florian Mayer will once again cross paths to determine who will advance to the latter stages of the Gerry Weber Open. This marks the sixth time that the two competitors will meet on the professional tour, with Federer leading the head-to-head series with an unblemished 5-0 record.

Federer’s second opponent in Halle was a difficult one: Ernests Gulbis, whom he shared a 2-2 h2h record with and had also lost his mot recent encounter against at last year’s French Open. However, their grass court encounter on Wednesday was a straightforward affair, as Federer snatched the opening set in 27 minutes, He then was able to snatch another break in the second set to bring the proceeding to an end with a 6-3, 7-5 scoreline.

“It is a grass-court match and he’s got a big serve, so regardless of what his level is, he’s always going to be tough for himself and for the opponent,” said Federer. “I served well when I had to and I’m pleased about the overall performance today.”

“Kidding aside, yes, I hope to be competitive,” he continued. “I hope I’m going to be in good shape. I hope we play against each other. That probably means we are in the final both of us and we’re both equally pleased with the tournament. But we know how long that road is to get there. I think our games both work very well on grass.”

In a match that also needed just straight sets, Florian Mayer defeated Steve Johnson 6-3, 7-6(4) to advance to the quarter-final round in Halle. He struck seven aces, won 76% of his first service point and saved eight break points to close out the match in one hour and 24 minutes.

This marks the sixth time that the two competitors will meet on the professional tour, with Federer leading the head-to-head series with an unblemished 5-0 record. Mayer has actually faced Federer at this tournament on two previous occasions and is yet to threaten a victory.