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By Richard Pagliaro | Sunday, May 24, 2015

 
Roger Federer

Roger Federer launched his 62nd straight Grand Slam with a 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 win over Alejandro Falla to advance to the Roland Garros second round.

Photo credit: Roland Garros

Swiss flags were flying and Swiss teammates flowing in Paris today.

Launching his 62nd consecutive Grand Slam appearance, Roger Federer dissected sometime practice partner Alejandro Falla, 6-3, 6-3, 6-4, to reach the Roland Garros second round for the 14th time.

Immediately after the match, a young fan trotted onto court and touched Federer in a selfie quest for several seconds before the slow-to-react security eventually intervened.

"I'm not happy about it," Federer said in his post-match press conference. "Obviously not one second I'm happy about it."

Video: Fan Intercepts Federer On Court In Selfie Quest

On Court Suzanne Lenglen, Stan Wawrinka dismissed Marsel Ilhan, 6-3, 6-2, 6-3, reaching the second round for the ninth time.

Last November, Federer and Wawrinka joined forces to lead Switzerland to its first Davis Cup championship in history over host France. The teammates could reunite as quarterfinal opponents in the benevolent bottom half of the draw.

The second-seeded Federer moved fluidly, changed direction effectively and cracked 42 winners in a one hour, 49-minute match.

At times, Federer looked frustrated by his struggles to convert break-point chances — he won just 4 of 16 break points — but he stung the lefthander's forehand breaking for a 5-3 first-set lead and forced another forehand error to break for a 2-1 advantage in the second set.

It wasn't an entirely pristine performance and came to a scary ending.

Lax security on Court Philippe Chatrier somehow enabled a young fan to hop the fence, run up to Federer and try to take a selfie as the Swiss was walking off the court. The kid stayed right by Federer's side for several seconds.  Federer, who waved to a security agent in a "what are you waiting for?" gesture, eventually pushed the kid away.

It wasn't the first time Federer felt an overzealous intruder crash Chatrier Court and touch him. A man waving a flag jumped on the court during the 2009 Roland Garros final and tried to place a hat on Federer's head before security finally intervened.

Understandably frustrated by both the security breach and blase response from tournament staff, Federer revealed a few young fans also jumped the fence and closed on him during his final practice session.

"It's just a kid, but then three more kids came. And today on center court where you would think this is a place where nobody can come on, just wanders on and nothing happens," Federer said. "Happened during the finals in '09 as well for me. So I definitely think this is something that something needs to happen quickly. Basically yesterday already. Not now, you know."

Fortunately, today's latest close encounter ended peacefully, however the fact Roland Garros security is repeatedly so passive confronting intruders puts players at a frightening risk. Fortunately, this violator was wielding a phone rather than a weapon, but the slow response was alarming.

Incredibly, after today's transgression tournament security did not detain the fan, who was steered away from Federer and allowed to wander off the court by himself. It's difficult to imagine the episode occurring at any of the other four Grand Slam events.

"I think I can speak on behalf of all the players, that that's where you do your job, that's where you want to feel safe," Federer said. "And so clearly I'm not happy about it. But nothing happened, so I'm relieved.  But clearly it wasn't a nice situation to be in."

Lucky loser Falla earned the first break point of the match. Federer kicked a heavy second serve to save it, eventually holding for 2-1.

In the eighth game, the Swiss changed direction and depth effectively. On his third break point, Federer coaxed a forehand error, breaking for 5-3.

The 2009 champion hit 15 winners in the 33-minute first set.

There were moments of dazzle. Federer cut under a backhand drop shot with such severe spin the ball stuck on the top of the tape for a second then dribbled over for break point. Falla planted a forehand into net as Federer broke for a 2-1 second-set advantage.

Blocking off a high forehand volley for break point, Federer broke to close the second when Falla flattened another forehand into net.

The Swiss soared to snap off this sky-hook overhead in the third set.



Playing on the more intimate —and secure—Lenglen Court, Wawrinka competed with the urgency of a man eager for a fast start — and to put the memories of his worst Paris loss behind him.

Stepping up on the baseline, Wawrinka smacked 42 winners and won 13 of 15 trips to net.

A year ago, Guillermo Garcia-Lopez wrote Wawrinka out of the French Open first round, 6-4, 5-7, 6-2, 6-0. Playing as a Top 3 seed for the first time in a Grand Slam that day, a skittish Wawrinka was his own worst enemy, littering 62 unforced errors and surrendering nine consecutive games to close a horror show performance.

In his Roland Garros return, the man in the checkerboard-patterned shorts controlled the match on serve. Wawrinka used his first serve to set up the first strike. He hit 10 aces, won 78 percent of his first-serve points and saved all six break points he faced.

"Pressure is always there. You have to put a little bit of pressure upon your shoulders in order to perform well," Wawrinka said. "So I draw the lessons from my elimination last year, so I handled the match differently. It's a new year, it's a new tournament, it's a new season, it's a new French Open, my schedule was different."

The 2014 Australian Open champion will play either Dusan Lajovic or Maximo Gonzalez for a place in the third round. Wawrinka scored a four-set win over Lajovic in the 2014 Davis Cup.


 

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