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Federer, Nadal advance in Dubai Open
(AP)
Updated: 2006-03-01 09:09
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - Top-ranked Roger Federer returned from a
month's vacation and began his bid for a fourth straight Dubai Open title
Tuesday, beating Stanislaus Wawrinka 7-6 (3), 6-3 in an all-Swiss match in the
first round.
Also advancing was second-ranked Rafael Nadal, who defeated beat France's
Paul-Henri Mathieu 6-7 (5), 6-1, 6-2.
Federer has been resting in his hometown of Oberwill since winning the
Australian Open in January. He said Wawrinka pressured him into several unforced
errors.
"I am quite pleased with the way I played," Federer said. "I really don't
care about the bad shots as long as the end result is fine."
Federer, a seven-time Grand Slam champion, will next play 488th-ranked
Kuwaiti wild card Mohammed Al Ghareeb.
Nadal showed no sign of the foot injury that kept him out four months. The
Spaniard returned to action this month.
After losing the first-set tiebreaker, Nadal shifted gears.
"I had a lot of chances in the first set, but I missed them because I was a
bit defensive," the French Open champion said. "In the second set, I changed my
approach and became a lot more aggressive. It was definitely one of my best
matches."
Nadal will get some time to rest — his second-round opponent, Moroccan
qualifier Younes El Aynaoui, withdrew because of personal reasons. Aynaoui
defeated Wesley Moodie of South Africa 6-4, 6-4 in the first round.
Marat Safin returned from a six-month layoff to beat third-seeded Nikolay
Davydenko. Showing no signs of the knee injury that sidelined him since last
August, Safin rallied against his fellow Russian to win 4-6, 6-2, 6-2.
"The first set was a bit tough because I hadn't played a match for six
months," Safin said. "You are unable to decide where you have to move, when you
have to go to the net, whether to put pressure or stay back. I was a bit lost
and tense because I knew that I had a chance."
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