Federer wins opener at Pacific Life
(Agencies)
Updated: 2005-03-14 14:12

No. 1 Roger Federer opened defense of his Pacific Life Open title with a methodical 6-3, 6-3 victory over Mardy Fish on Sunday.

Roger Federer of Switzerland returns a shot to Mardy Fish during the second round of the Pacific Life Open, Sunday, March 13, 2005, in Indian Wells, Calif. Federer won the match 6-3, 6-3. [AP]

In an upset on the women's side, Russian teenager Evgenia Linetskaya defeated No. 2 Amelie Mauresmo 2-6, 6-2, 7-5 in a third-round match.

Linetskaya, an 18-year-old from Moscow, is ranked No. 44.

Federer, running his match record for the year to 21-1, broke Fish's serve twice on the way to a 4-0 lead in the first set, then was in clear control the rest of the way.

Federer has won three tournaments already this year, with his only loss coming against Marat Safin in the Australian Open (news - web sites) semifinals. Safin beat him in five sets on his way to the title.

Federer said gusting wind at Indian Wells that picked up in the second set made it difficult to sustain rallies.

"But I was always ahead. Made it easy. So I'm happy with that first match," he said.

Federer lost just one set in six matches at Indian Wells last year, to Andre Agassi in the semifinals, and beat Tim Henman 6-3, 6-3 in the championship match.

Still, the tournament took a toll on him.

"The following Monday, I was not feeling good and for four or five days after that," said Federer, who apparently had a mild case of sunstroke.

"But I'm happy it came after the tournament and not during the semifinals or anything because that would have been impossible to play, with the sunstroke."

After several days of 90-degree heat in the desert resort area earlier in the week, temperatures were in the 70s for Federer's opening match.

The 23-year-old Swiss star needed just an hour and 7 minutes to beat Fish.

Croatia's Ivan Ljubicic, fresh off a five-set win over Andy Roddick that clinched a first-round Davis Cup victory over the United States, advanced at Indian Wells with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Tomas Zib.

Ljubicic has made it to four finals this year and lost each time. Three of those defeats, however, were by Federer.

In another second-round match, Taylor Dent bounced back from a first-set loss to beat Cyril Saulnier 1-6, 7-6 (1), 6-2.

In the women's third round, No. 5 Elena Dementieva defeated Severine Beltrame 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 (5).

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