Davie blog

Federer wins 1st match at Key Biscayne

Roger Federer beat Radek Stepanek to tie Pete Sampras.

Two-time champion Federer needed barely an hour Saturday to win his opening match at the Sony Ericsson Open, defeating Stepanek, 6-3, 6-3. The victory was Federer's 762nd, which ties him with Sampras for seventh place in the Open era.

"It's nice tying Pete, but he could have played for many more years," Federer said. "He could still win some matches on tour now if he wanted to.

"It's a funny stat, but it shows how long I have been around already, how much I've won all around the world and all the different surfaces. I've never missed big chunks of seasons. That's how you end up with so many wins, I guess."

Federer, who won Key Biscayne in 2005 and 2006, faced only one break point against Stepanek and has won 18 consecutive sets from the Czech.

"I was able to play solid and keep him moving and serve at a high first-serve percentage," Federer said. "All in all, I'm really pleased."

No. 13-seeded Mikhail Youzhny drubbed Yen-hsun Lu 6-1, 6-0, and No. 15 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga beat Teymuraz Gabashvili 6-3, 6-7 (3), 6-3. No. 26 Juan Ignacio Chela lost to Feliciano Lopez 7-6 (3), 3-6, 6-4.

In women's play, 2006 champion Svetlana Kuznetsova lost to Peng Shuai 6-3, 6-1.

Federer improved to 19-3 this year, with all three losses to Novak Djokovic. They could meet in the final next Sunday.

Federer slipped from second to third in the world rankings after losing to eventual champion Djokovic last week in the semifinals at Indian Wells.