TENNIS ATP BASEL – Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal cruised to the next round of the Suisse Open in Basel with easy wins. Hometown star Federer needed just 46 minutes to sweep aside Gilles Muller in straight sets with 6-2 6-1. Nadal dropped just two games to cruise through French qualifier Pierre Hugues Herbert with a double 6-1. Diego Sampaolo
Home star Roger Federer won a one-side match against Gilles Muller dropping just three games in 46 minutes to set up a second round match against Denis Istomin. Federer dropped just four points on his serve and did not face any break point chances in the whole match. Muller kept pace with the Swiss Maestro until 2-2 in the first set before Federer reeled off nine consecutive points to pull away to 6-2 5-0. Muller won his first game in the sixth game of the second set but Federer won the next game on the first match point.
Federer struck 12 winners and hit five aces in the first set. He did not drop any of his service points in the second set.
Federer won for the fifth time in five matches against Muller. Federer won all his five head-to-head matches against his next rival Denis Istomin who cruised past 2013 Wimbledon semifinalist Jerzy Janowicz with 6-1 6-1 in just 56 minutes.
Rafa Nadal cruised past World Number 120 player Herbert with a 6-1 6-1 win in just 57 minutes. Nadal, who is playing in the Suisse Open for the first time since 2004, hit 15 winners. On the contrary Herbert committed 11 double faults and 30 unforced errors. It was a formality for Nadal who saved two break points at 5-1 15-40 when he was serving for the match. Nadal got the first of his five breaks in the third game when Herbert committed three double faults. Nadal closed out the match on his first match point in just 57 minutes
Seventeen-year-old Borna Coric, US Open Junior champion in 2013, upset Ernests Gulbis with 7-6(2) 6-2 in his 12th match on the ATP Tour. Coric achieved the best result of his career as he beat a top-20 player for the first time in his career. Gulbis, semifinalist at the Roland Garros this year, served for the first set but he dropped serve before losing 7-2 at the tie-break. Coric converted three of his 14 break point chances. The young Croatian player will face Andrey Golubev before a possible quarter final against Rafa Nadal. Golubev beat Teymuraz Gabashvili 6-3 6-3
David Goffin from Belgium beat Ivan Dodig 7-6(0) 6-4. He will play against either Milos Raonic or Donald Young
