2 min readNew YorkAug 30, 2011 09:51 AM IST
First published on: Aug 30, 2011 at 09:51 AM IST
Five-time champion Roger Federer reached the second round of the US Open on Monday,beating Colombian Santiago Giraldo 6-4,6-3,6-2.
Federer,owner of 16 Grand Slam titles,equalled Andre Agassi for the second-most Grand Slam match victories in the Open Era with his 224th — nine fewer than Jimmy Connors.
The Swiss great wasn’t at his sharpest,dropping his serve three times and making 35 unforced errors.
Even so,the outcome against the 54th-ranked Giraldo who has never beaten a top-10 player — was never in doubt.
That was all that mattered to Federer,who told the crowd afterwards that winning is ‘the only thing,really’.
I don’t care how I do it. It doesn’t need to be pretty. I don’t think I’ve ever played my very,very best in the first round, he said.
The third-seeded Swiss needed one hour and 16 minutes under the lights on the Arthur Ashe stadium court to advance to a second round clash with Israel’s Dudi Sela,who beat Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci 4-6,2-6,6-4,6-3,6-0.
Federer,who turned 30 earlier this month,is trying to win his first Grand Slam title since the 2010 Australian Open — and keep alive his streak of eight straight seasons with at least one Grand Slam crown.
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