French Open:Roger Federer made a confident start to his French Open title defence with a 6-4 6-1 6-2 win over Australian Peter Luczak on a searing hot day at Roland Garros. The world number one gradually found his stride on centre court where panama hats and caps blossomed in the stands and shoulders went bare as temperatures nudged 30 degrees.
Federer bided his time in the first set and did not really push Luczak until the 10th game, when the Australian was serving at 4-5.
The top seed showed his annoyance when Luczak's serve was called in on his first set point but he did not have long to wait and an untimely double fault from his opponent handed Federer the advantage.
Luczak, who has spent most of his 10-year career outside the top 100 and had tested Rafael Nadal in the first round of the Australian Open, was broken again in the fourth game of the second set in Paris.
Federer followed that up with another break as he cruised into a two-set lead. It was merely a matter of time in the third set and the world number one reeled off four games in a row from 2-2 to seal victory.
Tomas Berdych, the 15th seed, was also a straight-sets winner.
The Czech, who made the final in Miami earlier this season, did not have to face a break point as he beat Chile's Jorge Aguilar7-6 (9/7) 6-3 6-1.
Feliciano Lopez, never at his best on clay, was one to seed to fall, however.
The Spaniard, seeded 27, went down in straight sets to Julian Reister, the German qualifier who ended Conor Niland's hopes of competing in the main draw.