Stars win, Hewitt takes time out to have a shout at the ITF

Federer extended his unbeaten run to 15 matches as Clement failed to match the class or firepower of the Swiss master. After losing the first set by smacking the ball into the net with his outstretched racket, Clement faded rapidly in the second.

British fifth seed Tim Henman eased past Czech qualifier Tomas Cakl 6-2, 6-4 on Thursday to set up a potential quarterfinal showdown with Federer. Henman made an excellent start against Cakl, who surprised Swede Jonas Bjorkman in the first round, and used two early breaks to win the first set.

Former world number one Hewitt wasted little time in taking a swipe at the International Tennis Federation about the Davis Cup format following his swift 6-2, 6-1 win over Fernando Gonzalez. Just 10 weeks after winning the Davis Cup for the 28th time last November, Australia were eliminated in the first round by Sweden earlier this month.

‘‘For the fans it is hard to imagine that within two months after you won that prestigious cup you’ve lost it already,’’ said the 22-year-old Australian. ‘‘But I don’t have the idea that the ITF is listening to the players. For example they could consider giving the finalists a first round bye.’’

Ferrero, who missed Spain’s first-round Cup tie against the Czech Republic after picking up a string of injuries during his Melbourne Park campaign, echoed the sentiment. ‘‘It is frustrating to lose in the first round of the Cup after you’ve just won it,’’ said the world number three. (Reuters)