Federer, Nadal, Djokovic Start Grass Campaigns
Posted by Sally on June 11, 2008
Roger Federer got his grass court season up and running today with a 6-4 6-2 win over German Michael Berrer in the first round of the Gerry Weber Open in Halle.
Second seed James Blake advanced to the quarter-finals with a 4-6 7-5 6-3 victory against German wildcard Benjamin Becker. Third seed and defending champion Tomas Berdych was ousted by Robin Soderling in straight sets. Elsewhere, wildcard Andreas Beck beat Mischa Zverev 6-7 (5) 7-6 (5) 6-1 in their second round encounter.
In the Artois Championships, top seed Rafael Nadal posted an impressive 6-2 6-2 win over Swedish wildcard Jonas Bjorkman in his opening match, just days after winning Roland Garros for the fourth time. Second seed Novak Djokovic was made to work a bit harder in his opening match before coming through 6-2 7-6 (6) against Croat Roko Karanusic. In their third round matches, Nadal meets rising star Kei Nishikori, while Djokovic takes on compatriot Janko Tipsarevic.
