Swiss Roger Federer inflicted his habitual pain on German opponents as he crushed Philipp Kohnschreiber 6-2, 6-1 in less than an hour to power through his opening match at the Monte Carlo Masters on Tuesday.
The Swiss world number three has not lost to a German since Nicolas Kiefer beat him at Halle on grass in 2002, and Tuesday’s success was his 47th in a row over German opponents.
“I know Kohli’s game well,” said the Swiss after victory into the third round. “We trained together in Switzerland late last year.” Coming off a first-round bye, Federer shot off to a solid start, losing just two points in the first three games and taking a 4-1 lead. He collected the opening set in half an hour and took ten minutes less to close out the second in regal fashion.
“It’s good to be back in Monaco after two years,” said the 16-time Grand Slam winner who last played in the principality in 2009, when he lost in the third round to compatriot Stanislas Wawrinka.
Kohlschreiber, ranked 32nd, had no answer to the Swiss precision as Federer warmed up his clay game at the event where he lost finals in 2006, 2007 and 2008 to Rafael Nadal, the top seed who is bidding for history and a seventh straight title in the principality.
Federer now stands 6-0 over Kohlschreiber, holds a 23-4 record on the season and 22-9 in Monte Carlo.
Nadal had a hit with Andy Murray earlier Tuesday with that pair set to start in the second round after byes on Wednesday.
In the first round, 16th seed Gilles Simon of France defeated Brazil’s Thomaz Bellucci 6-3, 6-2. Spain’s Feliciano Lopez staged a comeback to overhaul Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-4).
