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Roger Federer eases through
14/05/2008 18:06 - (SA)
Hamburg - Top-ranked Roger Federer eased past Jarkko Nieminen 6-1 6-3 on Wednesday to reach the third round of the Hamburg Masters, a tournament he has won four times.
Nieminen had never won a set in eight previous matches against Federer and was the perfect opponent for the Swiss star to bounce back from a surprise loss last week at the Rome Masters.
Federer lost in the quarter-finals to Radek Stepanek, but looked comfortable from the start on the sunny centre court in Hamburg.
The defending champion used his full range of shots to dominate the first set, taking a 4-1 lead with a powerful forehand winner past the stranded Nieminen.
The second set was a sloppy affair, with four straight breaks of serve at the start. Federer then made the decisive move with another break for a 4-3 lead and wrapped up the match in under one hour. He had 22 winners, twice as many as Nieminen.
Earlier, Janko Tipsarevic rallied to upset seventh-seeded James Blake 4-6 6-3 6-3.
Blake broke Tipsarevic's serve to win the first set, but the tenacious 33rd-ranked Tipsarevic got steadier in the second set and then broke Blake's serve for a 2-0 lead in the third.
Forehand hit the net
Nicolas Kiefer beat Slanislas Wawrinka - the runner-up at the Rome Masters on Sunday - 7-5 7-5. Kiefer saved two set points in the second after dropping his serve, then tied the set at 5-5 and won on his second match point when Wawrinka's forehand hit the net.
Ivo Karlovic upset the 13th-seeded 2006 Hamburg champion Tommy Robredo 3-6 6-2 7-6 (3).
Also, two-time Grand Slam champion Marat Safin beat ninth-seeded Tomas Berdych 7-5 6-4, 12th-seeded Juan Monaco defeated Simone Bolelli 6-2 6-1 and Albert Montanes ousted Jose Acasuso 7-6 (3) 6-3.
Safin, a two-time runner-up in Hamburg, had to qualify for this year's main draw after dropping to No 89, and he is the lowest-ranked player remaining in the event. He also beat Berdych in the Davis Cup quarterfinals last month.
- AP
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