Advertisement

Federer canters through first round in Paris

Roger Federer of Switzerland plays a shot to Alejandro Falla of Colombia during their men's singles match at the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, France, May 24, 2015. REUTERS/Vincent Kessler

PARIS (Reuters) - Roger Federer's quest for a second French Open title started with a 6-3 6-3 6-4 first-round win against Colombian lucky loser Alejandro Falla on Sunday. The second-seeded Swiss, who has a record 17 grand slam titles to his name, barely broke sweat in his flashy pink shorts and lilac shirt as he booked a second-round meeting with either Spain's Marcel Granollers or German qualifier Matthias Bachinger. After misfiring a few backhands, Federer, who has not won a grand slam since Wimbledon in 2012, pocketed the opening set when Falla buried a backhand into the net. Federer, who held serve throughout, broke twice in the second, and rounded it off on Falla's serve when the Colombian failed to return a booming crosscourt forehand. (Reporting by Julien Pretot; Editing by Justin Palmer)