Roger Federer wins his Hamburg opener on Wednesday, coming back from a set down to beat Daniel Brands. Federer is joined in the third round by Tommy Haas, who also needed three sets against Blaz Kavcic.
Roger Federer’s experiment with a new, larger racket got off to winning start when he defeated Daniel Brands 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 in the second round of the German Tennis Championships on Wednesday. Federer, now using a 98-inch frame, struck nine aces to advance in one hour and 25 minutes.
The top-seeded Swiss fired three aces in his opening service game, but he struggled early with the new Wilson stick from the back of the court. Brands, who tested Rafael Nadal in a French Open four-setter, capitalized with a break at 4-3 in the first set before serving it out at 5-3.
From there, however, it was all Federer. The world No. 5 did not face a single break point the rest of the way, and he lost a mere two of 22 service points in the second set. Federer missed two match points serving at 5-2 in the third due to impressive play by Brands, but he wrapped it up on his third opportunity.
Checking out the blacked-out Wilson:
Joining Federer in the second round is fellow veteran and No. 2 seed Tommy Haas. The 35-year-old German needed one hour and 45 minutes to hold off Blaz Kavcic 6-1, 4-6, 6-4. Haas gave back a break midway through the third set but seized a love break at 5-4 to finish off the high-quality encounter in style.
Next up for Haas is Bastad champion Carlos Berlocq, who outlasted Martin Klizan 4-6, 6-1, 7-6(6). Federer, meanwhile, will bid for a quarterfinal spot on Thursday against Jan Hajek.
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