Federer eases into Wimbledon second round

Jun 22, 2011 |

London

Tags:

wimbledon

Roger Federer began his campaign to equal Pete Sampras's record of seven Wimbledon titles with a comfortable 7-6 (7/2), 6-4, 6-2 win over Mikhail Kukushkin of Kazakhstan.

Third-seeded Federer, who faces either Ireland's Conor Niland or France's Adrian Mannarino for a place in the last 32, suffered a shock quarter-final exit against Tomas Berdych last year, but never looked in trouble against tournament debutant Kuskushkin.

The Swiss star fired down 12 aces and unleashed 53 winners in his quickfire win which took just an hour and 42 minutes on Centre Court.

Federer, the holder of a record 16 Grand Slam titles, came into his 13th successive Wimbledon having finished runner-up to Rafael Nadal at the French Open.

He had also been buoyed by bringing Novak Djokovic's 43-match winning streak to a halt in the semi-finals in Paris.

The Swiss star fired down 12 aces and unleashed 53 winners in his quickfire Centre Court win.

"It was very windy and the conditions were tough," said Federer, the holder of a record 16 Grand Slam titles.

"It's always nerve-wracking playing your first match on Centre Court because you don't get the chance to practice at the start of the tournament. But it was a matter of playing solid."

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