Roger Federer was delighted to avoid a potential French Open upset on Friday as he overcame the challenge of youngster Damir Dzumhur.
The 2009 Roland Garros champion brushed aside the 23-year-old Bosnian in straight sets to book an 11th successive appearance in the last 16 at the grand slam.
With the two players meeting for the first time in Paris, Federer admitted it had taken him some time to assess his opponent, and he was pleased to have come through a potential banana skin.
“My own game was good,” he said. “It took me time to get into it and see how he (Dzumhur) was serving.
“Thankfully, I played one good return game in the first set, and I had a bit of trouble in a couple of service games so it was important to get out of those.
“The wind played a big factor, made me mishit a few shots, but once I got my rhythm it got better and I was able to play more freely and mix up my game.”
And there were words of encouragement for Dzumhur from the 17-time grand slam winner after his 6-4 6-3 6-2 success.
He added: “I thought Damir played well, I expected him to play from far back but with some aggressive moments.
“It was always going to happen that he would play down the line shots and maybe some drop shots because it is a good shot on this court.
“I think he did that well. He moves well and I thought it was an entertaining match.”
