ATP Tennis- Roger Federer Struggles But Advances to Third Round at Indian Wells
Switzerland’s Roger Federer survived a difficult match on Sunday against Romanian Victor Hanescu. He managed to beat the Romanian 6-3, 6-7, 6-1 in the second round of the tennis tournament at Indian Wells, but only after struggling through an hour and 57 minutes of play. Federer hadn’t participated in any tournaments since the Australian Open, suffering from a lung infection in late February that prevented him from participating in the Dubai Open. Federer, who is looking for his fourth title at Indian Wells, showed forcefulness and effectiveness in the first set, losing only one point on serve and breaking Hanescu’s serve in the second game. After winning the first set 6-3 in 30 minutes, the world No. 1 appeared headed towards a straightforward victory. However, in the second set, the winner of sixteen grand slams suffered a surprising break in his serve in the sixth game aE” Hanescu hit a reverse winner along the line. Nevertheless, Federer came back, bringing the score to 6-6, but then fell behind 3-0 in the tiebreak. Hanescu eventually won the set after Federer sent a long backhand. The brief setback seemed to wake the Swiss player up.