TENNIS – In a match between two over-30 players, Roger Federer made a winning debut in the second round beating Croatian ace specialist Ivo Karlovic in straight sets with 6-4 7-6 (7-4) of the Sony Open, the second Master 1000 of the season, at Key Biscayne in Miami Diego Sampaolo
Federer, who has moved up to World Number 5 after reaching the Indian Wells final last week, played a very solid first set in which he held serve to love four times in a row until he dropped just one point on serve at 5-4 40-0.
The 17-time Grand Slam champion broke serve in the opening game and held serve to love to back up the break for 2-0. The rest of the opening set went on serve.
Federer closed out the first set with 6-4 in 29 minutes. Karlovic hit six aces compared to three for Federer in the first set.
In the second set Karlovic held serve for 1-0. Federer held to love to level to 1-1. Karlovic held serve in the seventh game for 4-3. In the ninth game the Croatian giant saved a couple of break points from 15-40 to hold serve. The second set went on serve until the tie-break. Federer got the mini-break on the first point in the breaker as Karlovic hit a forehand volley long. The Swiss legend took a 3-1 lead before wrapping up the tie-break on his first match point after 74 minutes.
Federer was in control of the match in the second set in which he dropped just one service point to extend his winning record to 11-1 against Karlovic. Federer won 7-4 in the tie-break to easily advance to the third round. It was the 15th tie-break between the two players.
In their 12 matches Federer dropped just three sets against the Croatian giant who won only once in Cincinnati 2008 in three sets (7-6 4-6 7-6). Five of their 12 head-to-head matches Federer and Karlovic came down to the third set.
Federer was very solid on serve winning 75 percent of his first serve points, held serve to love nine times He did not face a single break point in the whole match and lost just three points on serve. He produced 27 winners to six unforced errors and hit six aces.
Federer won his 20th match in 2014, in which he won his first title since last June in Dubai and lost the final against Nole Djokovic in Indian Wells last week. Karlovic lost the final in Memphis and reached the quarter final in Acapulco.
Karlovic has a positive record of 11-8 in his 19 matches this year where he fired 308 aces.
He joins a elite club of players who hit more than 8000 aces during their careers which includes Goran Ivanisevic, Andy Roddick, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer and Ivan Ljubicic.
Federer will take on Thiemo de Bakker who upset Fernando Verdasco 7-6 6-7 6-2.
Diego Sampaolo