Federer asserts his authority in Melbourne

January 17, 2011 04:11 pm | Updated 04:11 pm IST - Melbourne

Roger Federer downed Lukas Lacko 6-1, 6-1, 6-3 to win the first round match at the Australian Open.

Roger Federer downed Lukas Lacko 6-1, 6-1, 6-3 to win the first round match at the Australian Open.

Roger Federer crushed Slovak Lukas Lacko 6-1, 6-1, 6-3 as the holder made a majestic start to his Australian Open title defence on Monday.

The Swiss world number two was ruthless against the 97th-ranked outsider, ripping through the opening set in 22 minutes and stealing a 3-0 lead with ease in the second and blasting home as he begins the quest for a fifth Melbourne trophy after winning his fourth in 2010.

But the Swiss needed a slight refinement of strategy to insure victory against his eager opponent.

“I thought I played great,” said the 16-time Grand Slam champion. “I tried to play offensive from the start and see where it takes me. “It didn’t work,” said Federer, broken in the second set but quickly getting it back. “So I got back and played a bit more risky and so forth. I was able to keep on pressing, put him on the back foot. “It was no surprise he started to get into the match at one stage. I thought it was a good match. I don’t think he played too bad himself. I was really happy I chose tactics early on to pressure him. They worked great. At the end, I was happy.”

Monfils survives scare

Frenchman Gael Monfils made a recovery from two sets to love down, overhauling Thiemo de Bakker of the Netherlands 6-7 (5-7), 2-6, 7-5, 6-1, 6-1 while American 16th seed Mardy Fish duplicated that feat with his comeback over Romanian Victor Hanescu 2-6, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, 6-3.

Wozniacki cruises

Number one Caroline Wozniacki led women’s seeds through, with the top-seed beating Gisela Dulko of Argentina 6-3, 6-4. “It’s the first round, it’s always tough,” said the Dane. “I’m really happy to be through, I’m feeling good.” The winner benefited from 38 unforced errors from her South American opponent ranked 48th who has now lost three of their four meetings.

French Open winner Francesca Schiavone, seeded sixth, struggled past Arantxa Parra Santonja of Spain 6-7 (4-7), 6-2, 6-4; China’s ninth seed Li Na put out Swede Sofia Arvidsson 6-1, 7-5.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.