FedEx right on track

“I would like to win here and the pressure is quite big, yes,” Federer told a news conference. “It’s okay. I enjoy the challenge, basically.”

The South American, who got into the main draw as a lucky loser having been beaten in the final round of qualifying, never looked capable of knocking Federer out his confident stride.

He lost all of his three service games in the opening set which took just just 20 minutes.

Falla, playing in his first tour level tournament of the year, was ahead 3-2 in the second set before the rain came to send the players off court.

Seventy-five minutes later, they were back and Federer broke in the seventh game before going on to claim the set 6-4.

Federer was quickly into his stride breaking his hapless 22-year-old, left-handed opponent in the first game of the third set.

Falla saved three match points in the ninth game but was unable to prevent federer from moving a little bit closer to the one Grand Slam title he has yet to win.

“I guess, at the Australian Open, it all came out in the end. But also throughout the tournament, I felt like, you know, everything was relaxed and I was feeling good. I didn’t feel like I was putting that amount of pressure on me,’’ said Federer.

french open ‘06 (Day four)

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13th seed Nicolas Kiefer (Germany) nailed 15 aces to beat Marc Gicquel 6-0, 6-1, 5-7, 3-6, 11-9

Indians at the Open

• Playing together in only their first match, Mahesh Bhupathi and Belgian Xavier Malisse posted a facile 6-2, 6-2 victory against the Luxembourg-Belgian pairing of Gilles Muller and Christophe Rochus

• After her singles debacle, there was some consolation for Sania Mirza. The Hyderabadi and her 31-year-old Slovakian partner Janette Husarova dropped just four games on way to defeating Catalina Castano and C Martinez Granados

Coming Up

Defending champion Rafael Nadal locks horns against American Kevin Kim in his second-round encounter

Seeds struggle

• Top-seed and World No. 1 Amelie Mauresmo needed one hour and 39 minutes to get past 19-year-old Russian Vera Dushevina to secure a birth in the second round. The 26-year-old Frenchwoman finally won 6-1, 7-6(7-5) in damp conditions on Court Suzanne Lenglen

• Third seed David Nalbandian was given a stiff resistance by French prodigy Richard Gasquet, before winning in four sets, 6-2, 3-6, 7-5, 6-0

Easy for Sharapova

Maria Sharapova relied on her powerful back court game and blasted winners from the middle of the court to overcome a spirited challenge from Czech Iveta Benesova to move into Round Three. Playing with a strapped right ankle, the 4th seed Russian recorded a 6-4, 6-1 victory in a match marred by rain delays

—Anupama Bagri