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Federer shakes off rust after month's layoff

AFP/The Local
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Federer shakes off rust after month's layoff
Photo: Maddie Meyer/Getty Images North America/AFP

In his first match since Wimbledon, Switzerland's Roger Federer shook off the rust on Tuesday at the Western and Southern Open tennis tournament in Cincinnati.

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Federer, who took more than a month off after losing the Wimbledon final to Novak Djokovic, beat Roberto Bautista Agut 6-4, 6-4, improving to 4-0 over the Spaniard without the loss of a set.

But the 34-year-old said that he needed time to adjust again to match conditions after his hiatus.
   
"It was a good win for me, it can only get tougher from here," said Federer, seeking a record seventh title here.
   
"I haven't played in a long time and I felt a bit rusty at times in the first set," he said.

"I need matches right now, so it was good to start well here," the Basel native said.
   
"I'm happy I got through this first one — now I know what it's about.
   
"I have a day off tomorrow where I can think about how things went today, where I need to improve."

US Open winner Marin Cilic, the seventh seed, beat Joao Sousa 6-4, 6-2, while Spain's Feliciano Lopez stopped Canadian Milos Raonic 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 as the ninth seed lost an opening match for the second straight week.

Sam Querrey put out John Isner 6-3, 7-6 (7/3) and South African 15th seed Kevin Anderson defeated Leonardo Mayer 7-6 (7/5), 3-6, 6-1.
   
Controversial Nick Kyrgios was dumped out, a 6-2, 6-1 first-round victim of 
French 12th seed Richard Gasquet.
   
Kyrgios, building a reputation as the bad boy of the game, was unremarkable 
in the match, which lasted for only 56 minutes.

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