Federer cruises into second round
Swiss maestro Roger Federer beats Lukas Lacko 6-2, 6-4, 6-2 to progress to the next stage of the French Open.
With his twin daughters watching from the stands, Roger Federer moved into the second round of the French Open after a 6-2, 6-4, 6-2 win over Lukas Lacko.
Federer has played in only two clay-court tournaments this season. He reached the final in Monte Carlo but missed the Madrid tournament when his second set of twins, boys Leo and Lenny, was born.
His first match after their birth was a loss in Rome.
With the clay court hard and damp due to days of rain and overcast skies, the fourth-seeded Federer was back to himself, winning five of his 11 break points.
“When I was a little kid, I always wanted to play tennis. It’s still the same,” Federer said. “Some players get tired of travelling, of the whole organisation. But for me it’s not really a problem.”
Federer’s twin girls, Myla Rose and Charlene Riva were sitting in Federer’s box along with his wife Mirka.
Eighth-seeded Milos Raonic of Canada also advanced, beating Nick Kyrgios of Australia 6-3, 7-6 (1), 6-3.
Raonic is the youngest man in the top 10 of the tennis rankings, and Kyrgios was the youngest man in this year’s French Open draw at 19.
Radwanska makes progress
In the women’s tournament, Agnieszka Radwanska was able to reach the second round – once she got a handle on her serve.
Radwanska and Zhang Shuai traded breaks in the opening seven games of their match, but the third-seeded Pole finally held and won the final nine games to become the first player to reach the second round, winning 6-3, 6-0.
Radwanska reached the Wimbledon final in 2012, but her best result at Roland Garros was a spot in the quarterfinals last year.
“Clay is not really my favorite surface, but I’m trying,” Radwanska said. “Last year I did my first quarterfinal, so hopefully this year I can do even better.”