rogerfederer.com - 50th victory in North America

50th victory in North America

Roger stretched his winning streak in North America to 50 matches, stretching back more than two years when he defeated Sébastien Grosjean of France 6-3, 6-3 in the second round of the Rogers Cup yesterday.

After nine days of holidays and over two weeks of intensive training with Pierre Paganini and Tony Roche in the immense heat in Dubai Roger did not precisely know where he was standing. "It's quite similar to a fresh start, comparable to the beginning of a new season in january. That's why it was so important to find the right rhythm straight away," Roger commented.

"Same as (Tuesday) -- good," Roger replied when asked to assess his latest triumph. "I think I played a little more aggressive. I had patches where I played really good tennis. I was really pleased with the way I played, because he's a tough player and I haven't played him in a while. He's a veteran and he knows how to play the game well, and he's quick, so I had to play a good match."

Roger will play either Tommy Haas (AT 17) or Russia's Dimitri Tursunow (ATP 27) in the next round. Only three of the men originally seeded in the top 10 are left in the tournament. And no Americans remained in contention after Kevin Kim, ranked 96th in the world, lost to No. 25 Fernando Verdasco of Spain, 6-3, 6-2.