After a first round scare, where he was pushed to four sets and aided by a nervy Igor Andreev, it seemed that Roger Federer had yet to reach anywhere near his best at Australian Open 2010.
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That all changed on Thursday night, as the Swiss maestro’s game clicked in easing past an unfortunate Victor Hanescu on Rod Laver Arena.
Federer was at his sublime best during the 6-2 6-3 6-2 win, displaying a full array of strokes to dismantle a potentially dangerous opponent. The Romanian was hardly disgraced, conceding only eight more unforced errors than Federer. It was just one of those nights for the No.1 seed, who effortlessly conjured 52 winners seemingly at will.
Hanescu battled gamely, trying a number of tactics to counter the genius of Federer, but each time it seemed the champion found a new method of compounding the Romanian’s misery. An inch-perfect backhand lob evaded the 198cm giant, not the easiest of tasks. Later, a cheeky crosscourt flick to beat Hanescu at the net drew a smile from Federer, who knew that even for him, things couldn’t get much better. Sadly for his opponent, they did.
Much to the crowd’s delight, the visiting Prince William made an appearance during the third set.
It seemed fitting, as Federer had just peeled off six consecutive winners without error, producing a level of tennis befitting the royal company.
Federer admitted that even during a career of playing in front of big names, the Prince was on another level entirely.
“This one tonight was obviously extremely special. It's a pleasure, of course, playing in front of him. He doesn’t come around every day.”
Noting that lower ranked players can often be tough matches, Federer seemed relieved to have played as well as he did.
“[I] got off to a good start and kind of never looked back … [I] moved well and played some amazing shots. It was great.”
“It's dangerous for me to play against all these guys. They take huge cuts at the ball and (have) nothing to lose. And if they win they're heroes, and if they lose, it's an incredible experience.”
Federer will now face the 31st-seeded Albert Montanes of Spain, who came back from two sets down against Stephane Robert of France to scrape through to the third round.
Montanes will be up against a world No.1 who seems to have dispelled any doubts about his form, and looks coolly determined to avenge his loss in the final to Rafael Nadal here last year.
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