Minar no match for Federer

“It was a great start,” Federer said. “I am very happy the way I played.”

“I really had the sense I was returning very well, hardly giving him any points there, holding easy on my serve and from the baseline. I didn’t have the feeling I was in any rush at all.”

“That doesn’t happen very often going into Grand Slams. I’ve always been looking for my rhythm early. And today it was there straight away. That was good. Good signs, good feeling.”

Minar, the world No. 77, was given no chance to settle on his first U.S. Open appearance. Federer rattled through the first two sets in 36 minutes.

The Czech put up a little more resistance in the third set until the fourth game when he dropped his serve and the champion romped to victory.

Federer, who made just 10 unforced errors in the match, said he had been determined not to suffer the same fate as Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova, who on Monday became the first defending women’s champion to lose in the first round at the U.S. Open.

Britain’s Tim Henman slumped to a dismal first-round defeat, beaten 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 by Spain’s Fernando Verdasco.

The 12th seed, a semi-finalist last year, looked sluggish and error-prone on Louis Armstrong Court and the loss means he is likely to tumble down the men’s rankings.

Henman has been suffering from a back problem and Verdasco, ranked 48, swept through the first two sets before the Briton lost his temper in the third set.

The 30-year-old was furious that the umpire failed to over-rule a Verdasco forehand that looked long.