Tennis Sports

Top seed Roger Federer swept past Nicolas Mahut 6-4 6-4 in the first round of the Rotterdam Open.

Federer, appearing at the indoor hardcourt event for the first time since winning it seven years ago, broke once in each set during a 67-minute triumph.

And the Swiss 16-time grand slam winner received a further boost when his scheduled second-round opponent Mikhail Youzhny withdrew from the tournament with a foot problem.

Federer goes straight through to a quarter-final date against Finland’s Jarkko Nieminen, who saw off Poland’s Lukasz Kubot 6-3 5-7 7-6 (7/2).

“Any win is a good win.

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Britain’s Anne Keothavong was eliminated from the Pattaya Open in Thailand on Wednesday after losing her second-round match to Sania Mirza.

Keothavong, who stunned the second seed and world No16, Dominika Cibulkova, in round one for the biggest win of her career, was beaten 6-4, 7-5 by the Indian.

The 28-year-old Londoner, the British No2, broke her opponent once in each set but Mirza capitalised on Keothavong’s meagre 47% of first serves in to break four times in a match which lasted one hour and 39 minutes.

MELBOURNE – At least Caroline Wozniacki won’t have to answer questions about her world No. 1 ranking anymore.

Wozniacki, who has spent 67 of the last 68 weeks atop the world rankings despite never winning a major championship, lost in straight sets to defending Australian Open champion Kim Clijsters in the quarterfinals in Melbourne on Tuesday.

The 6-3, 7-6 (7-4) decision means Clijsters still has a chance to become the eighth women’s player to successfully defend the Australian Open title and also ensures a new world No. 1 by week’s end.

“I will get it back eventually, so I’m not worried,” Wozniacki said. “Critics talk to me like I’m finishing my career and I only have one year left and time is running out.

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Victoria Azarenka threw down the gauntlet to her Australian Open rivals with a brutal demolition of Casey Dellacqua on Wednesday.

After winning the warm-up tournament in Sydney, the third seed is widely fancied to land her her maiden Grand Slam title in Melbourne this year.

She certainly looked in good nick under the lights of the Rod Laver Arena, winning 6-1 6-0 against home hope Dellacqua in just 57 minutes.

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“There have been many moments over the last year when I thought it was all over,” Kim Clijsters says of the physical ravages which continue to threaten an end to one of the most remarkable comebacks in professional sport. “These were the moments when I was disappointed and frustrated, when I got so low because it seemed all my hard work had been wasted. But the moments passed and the motivation to go back to rehab was there again. I’ve worked really hard but it’s definitely not been easy.”

Clijsters may be the most likeable professional tennis player in the world, and a sporting superstar who prefers an ordinary life to a celebrity existence, but she now faces more uncertainty.

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