Tennis: Federer wins opening Rotterdam tie

Roger Federer crushed Slovenia’s Grega Zemlja 6-3, 6-1 in just 57 minutes.

ROTTERDAM: Roger Federer began the defence of his Rotterdam World Tennis title by crushing Slovenia’s Grega Zemlja 6-3, 6-1 in just 57 minutes on Wednesday.

Federer advanced effortlessly into the second round over last autumn’s Vienna finalist and next faces Dutchman Thiemo de Bakker.

The Swiss top seed, and world number two, improved to 22-5 in Rotterdam as he plays the event for the eighth time, never losing before the quarter-finals.

“I’ve been here and preparing for a few days for the tournament, but matches are always different than training sessions,” said Federer. “The ball flies a bit and you have to be prepared for strong shots. I’ll have to be careful against De Bakker, who can be dangerous on his day. I played him in the Davis Cup in the year 2012. The local players always get up for home matches. I’ll have to approach him carefully and not underestimate him.”

Published in The Express Tribune, February 15^th, 2013.