Federer finishes off an American in Paris

May 29, 2007, 14:37 GMT

Paris, France - Roger Federer completed his first-round match Tuesday at the French Open, wrapping up a straight-set victory over American Michael Russell on a dry Tuesday at Roland Garros.

Rain wreaked havoc over the first two days of the year's second Grand Slam, leaving a whopping 60 men's first-round matches scheduled for Tuesday.

The top-seeded Federer began his match against Russell on Monday and was ahead 6-4, 4-1 when play was suspended. He finished things off quickly on Tuesday with a 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 triumph.

Federer is trying to capture the only Grand Slam title that has eluded him. He finished as the runner-up last year to Spanish clay sensation Rafael Nadal and needs a French Open crown to complete a coveted career Grand Slam.

A victory here would also make the Swiss star the current holder of all four major championships. The 10-time Grand Slam champ followed his French Open loss last year with wins at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, then started 2007 with a victory at the Australian Open.

Other early winners Tuesday included seventh-seeded Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia and ninth-seeded Tommy Robredo of Spain. Ljubicic finished off French veteran Arnaud Clement 6-1, 7-5, 7-6 (7-2) and Robredo also completed a 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 triumph against Argentina's Sergio Roitman.

Another Argentine, 19th-seeded Guillermo Canas, cruised past Romania's Victor Hanescu, 6-3, 6-1, 6-4. Canas is considered a darkhorse for this tournament, as he has already beaten the great Federer twice this year.

Other top men scheduled for action today include two-time defending champion Nadal and third-seeded American Andy Roddick. The second-seeded Nadal is set to play Argentina's Juan Martin Del Potro, while Roddick opens his French stay against tough Russian Igor Andreev.

© 2007 The Sports Network