Wimbledon champion Roger Federer reached the third round of the Montreal Masters with a 7-6 7-6 win over big-serving Croat Ivo Karlovic on Wednesday.

 

The world number one, in his first outing since winning his fifth consecutive Wimbledon title last month, could not force a single break point but came out on top in two tiebreaks to advance.

 

Defending champion Federer will now meet Italian qualifier Fabio Fognini, who upset 13th seed Andy Murray 6-2 6-2 to reach round three.

 

Fifth seed Andy Roddick made a solid start as the American beat Frenchman Arnaud Clement 6-3 7-6 to join Federer in the third round

 

Roddick, who won the title in Washington last weekend, trailed 5-3 in the second-set tiebreak before winning four consecutive points to clinch victory.

 

"He started being a lot more aggressive playing higher risk in the second set," Roddick said. "It was working for the most part and I was kind of just hanging on there in the second set.

 

"But I was just able to kind of hang around long enough, win a couple points in the breaker. It was definitely a tale of two sets."

 

The American will now play Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus or Dutchman Robin Haase in the third round.

 

Lleyton Hewitt was awarded a path through to the third round when opponent James Blake withdrew before their match with an abdominal strain.

 

"I hope four, five days of ice and rest will do for me and I'll be okay for Cincinnati (next week)," American Blake said.

 

"I need to be careful with the US Open coming up, I don't want to do something that's going to cause some serious damage."

 

Australian Hewitt will now play Slovakian Dominik Hrbaty, who upset seventh seed Tommy Robredo of Spain 6-2 6-4, while eighth seed Richard Gasquet squandered a match point before going down 3-6 7-6 6-4 to Spaniard Fernando Verdasco.

 

Fourth seed Nikolay Davydenko battled past Finn Jarkko Nieminen 6-3 7-6 to reach the third round while another Russian, 14th seed Mikhail Youzhny, also advanced with a 6-4 6-4 win over Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka

 

David Ferrer, the 16th seed, was beaten 7-6 6-1 by Argentine David Nalbandian.

 

Murray, who returned this week after 12 weeks out with a wrist injury, said he may sit out the next two events, in Cincinnati and New Haven, in order to be fully fit for the US Open.

 

In Monday's night session, second seed Rafael Nadal takes on former world number one Marat Safin of Russia.

 

(CRI via Reuters August 9, 2007)