ROGER Federer started the defence of his Rotterdam World Tennis title by crushing Slovenia's Grega Zemlja 6-3 6-1 in just 57 minutes.
Federer advanced effortlessly into the second round over last year's Vienna finalist and next faces Dutchman Thiemo de Bakker.
The Swiss top seed, and world No. 2, improved to 22-5 in Rotterdam as he plays the event for the eighth time, never losing before the quarter-finals.
Zemlja slipped to 1-9 against top 10 opposition after beating No. 9 Janko Tipsarevic in the Vienna semi-finals before losing to Juan Martin del Potro.
Federer raced through the opening set in 29 minutes with a break in the final game and rolled on in the second, taking a 3-1 led before closing out with a break in the penultimate game and a love game to finish with a service winner.
"I've been here and preparing for a few days, but matches are always different than training," Federer said. "The ball flies a bit and you have to be prepared.
"I'll have to be careful against De Bakker. I played him in the Davis Cup (2012). The local players always get up for home matches. I'll have to approach him carefully and not underestimate him."
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