Federer off to a flying start
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MELBOURNE, Australia (Reuters) -- Second seed Roger Federer demolished American Alex Bogomolov 6-3 6-4 6-0 on Tuesday in a superb start to his quest for the Australian Open.
Wimbledon champion Federer breezed through the first two sets and put on a master-class in the third to wrap up a one-sided match in 89 minutes at Rod Laver Arena.
"Straight sets in the first round is a good start," said the 22-year-old Swiss.
"The beginning was a little bit tentative, but after that I started to go for my shots and I also volleyed well today and served well," he told reporters.
Federer, who won his first grand slam title at Wimbledon as well as the prestigious Masters Cup in 2003, was never seriously tested by Bogomolov in his first match since losing 6-2 6-4 to Andre Agassi at the Kooyong warm-up event last week.
"A lot of upsets can happen here because some players are just not 100 percent ready yet," said Federer.
"But the Australian Open stays as important as Wimbledon, the French Open and the U.S. Open to me in my eyes. It doesn't really matter because I'm ready for this event."
The clean-hitting Federer overpowered his 117th-ranked opponent from the baseline and was razor-sharp with his volleys, winning 20 out of 24 points at the net in scorching conditions.
"But it was very hot in the beginning. The wind was also hot because the last few days the wind was cooler. But after one set, the clouds came in and it got cooler," said Federer, who has struggled at the Australian Open in the past.
The stylish Swiss, who has yet to progress past the fourth round in four previous visits to Melbourne, will play American qualifier Jeff Morrison in the second round on Thursday.
Federer split from long-term coach Peter Lundgren last month and has still not found a replacement.
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