Federer, Tipsarevic crash out in Gstaad

AFP/Gstaad, Switzerland

The German spoiled former world number one Federer’s return to the tournament after nine years with a shock 6-3, 6-4 second round upset.

World number five Federer has won only the Halle title this season after claiming his 17th Grand Slam title at Wimbledon in 2012.

Last week, the 31-year-old was stunned by Argentine qualifier Federico Delbonis, the world number 114, in the Hamburg semi-finals.

That defeat came just a month after Federer was knocked out of Wimbledon by Ukraine’s world number 116 Sergiy Stakhovsky in the second round.

That brought to an end a run of 36 consecutive Grand Slam quarter-final appearances for the Swiss.

Yesterday’s 65-minute upset left Federer scrambling to find some form ahead of the US Open in four weeks’ time.

His build-up for the season’s final Grand Slam event of the year in New York begins at the Montreal Masters from August 5.

Federer had made a celebrated return to the small claycourt tournament at Gstaad where he got his start on the ATP Tour 15 years ago as a teenaged wildcard entry.

He lost in the first round in each of his first four appearances, from 1998 through 2001.

The fifth-ranked Swiss—his lowest standing in a decade—was competing in this elite alpine village at 800 metres nine years after last appearing in a title-winning performance.

Brands came good on the threat he posed in the Hamburg first round eight days ago when he lost in three sets to Federer.

This time, the German got the win despite Federer saving two match points, the first with an ace on his own serve in the ninth game of the second set.

Brands completed the fourth win of his career over a top 10 player a game later after Federer, who struck more than 20 unforced errors, saved another match point before falling to a Brand service winner.

“This is a really special win,” said Brands.

“I played at 100%, I didn’t have a big strategy, I just played point after point and tried to stay strong mentally.”

The German will next face Victor Hanescu, who advanced to the quarter-finals when Spanish eighth seed Roberto Bautista Agut retired with back pain trailing 7-6 (7/2), 3-2.

Serb third seed Janko Tipsarevic was knocked out in his opening match 6-2, 6-2 by Dutchman Robin Haase.

Tipsarevic has had a dreadful showing this season, slipping out of the top 10 over the last four months.

He began in January with a title in Chennai but has since managed only three quarter-finals.

The number 18 had no answer to Haase, playing the tournament for the first time and now standing 16-18 this season and now one victory away from a 100th career success.

Tipsarevic went down two breaks in the second set and managed briefly to stop the rot before eventually falling in 61 minutes with six double-faults and dropping service four times.

The 2011 Gstaad winner, Marcel Granollers, moved into an ATP quarter-final for the third time this season with a 6-2, 7-5 second-round elimination of Delbonis, the runner-up in Hamburg last week.

Granollers, one of eight Spaniards to win the title in the post-1968 Open era, claimed victory over the 65th-ranked Delbonis—he stood 114th last week—in 96 minutes.

Aussie Hewitt advances at Atlanta Open

Former world No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt blasted 10 aces en route to a 7-6 (8/6), 6-4 over Rhyne Williams in the second round of the Atlanta Open.

The 32-year-old from Adelaide won 78% of his first-serve points and had his serve broken just once in the one hour, 47 minute hardcourt match.

Hewitt advances to the quarter-finals where he will face Ivan Dodig of Croatia who beat Ricardas Berankis in three sets, 6-1, 6-7 (3/7), 6-3.

Hewitt, who was the number one ranked player in the world in 2001, is seeking his 29th career singles title. His last win came three years ago in Halle.

Williams hammered 18 aces but made four double faults and only saved one of three service break points.

Top seed Radwanska wins opener in Stanford

World number four Agnieszka Radwanska easily defeated Francesca Schiavone 6-4, 6-3 in her opening match at the WTA Tour’s Stanford tournament on Wednesday.

Radwanska, the top seed in the hardcourt tournament, had a bye through the first round, and won 60% of her first serve points in the 84-minute second round contest.

She will now face sixth-seeded American Varvara Lepchenko who beat Tamira Paszek 6-4, 6-4 earlier Wednesday.

This was the eighth career meeting between the two since Schiavone won their first match 7-5, 2-6, 6-1 in the semi-finals in Luxembourg in 2006. Schiavone went on to win the next three meetings. Radwanska, after Wednesday’s match, has won the last four, all in straight sets.