Roger Federer bounced back to form with a quick-fire win over Mikhail Kukushkin of Kazakhstan on Tuesday as he began his bid for a seventh title at his hometown tournament in Basel.
The Swiss maestro had been dumped out by Spain's unheralded Albert Ramos-Vinolas in his opening match at the Shanghai Masters last time out but recovered his poise back in Europe to power past Kukushkin 6-1, 6-2 in 55 minutes.
The World No 3 wowed his devoted local fans by storming into a 5-0 lead and barely looked back.
"Losing today wouldn't have been great for my confidence. I feel no effects from losing in Shanghai. I hope this match is a stepping stone to greater things this week. I've played so well over the years here in Basel," top seed Federer said.
The record 17-times grand slam champion, who is gearing up for the World Tour Finals in London next month, will next face Philipp Kohlschreiber after the German overcame 11 aces from Poland's Jerzy Janowicz in a 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 win.
Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov set up a second round match against third seed Rafael Nadal after beating Ukraine's Sergiy Stakhovsky 6-3, 6-4.
© 2024 Rediff.com -