 Halle is a happy hunting ground for Federer |
Roger Federer won his first grasscourt match of the season, beating Rohan Bopanna 7-6 6-2 in the first round of the Gerry Weber Open in Halle, Germany. Three days after losing the French Open final to Rafael Nadal, the Swiss proved too strong for the Indian number one.
"I didn't expect much from this match," said Federer. "I was a bit exhausted from the pressure of recent weeks."
Federer, aiming for his fourth straight Halle title, plays France's Richard Gasquet in the second round.
Last year, Federer struggled past Sweden's Robin Soderling in his first match, losing the first set, but went on to beat Russia's Marat Safin in the final.
"I'm not worried about finding my rhythm for Wimbledon," he said after his 37th successive victory on grass.
His latest win left him four short of Bjorn Borg's record of 41 straight wins, but Federer added: "Streaks are not important to me. Winning titles is."
Federer was joined in the second round by Arnaud Clement of France who beat Dane Kristian Pless 7-5 6-3.
In the second round, home hope Florian Mayer upset third seed Jarkko Nieminen, beating the Finn 6-4 3-6 6-4. Belgian eigth seed Kristof Vliegen beat Switzerland's Marco Chiudinell 7-6 (7-4) 6-0 to progress to round three.
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