Top seed Roger Federer stormed through to the third round of the Hamburg Masters by crushing Ecuadorian baseliner Nicolas Lapentti 6-3, 6-3 on Wednesday.
The world number one, who made his breakthrough in Hamburg by winning the tournament two years ago, needed just an hour to survive the second round of the last major men's event before the French Open starts on May 24.
The Wimbledon and Australian Open champion broke Lapentti in the eighth game of the first set courtesy of a double fault from his opponent. The 22-year-old Swiss then served for the set, taking it when Lapentti hit a backhand into the net.
A confident Federer broke Lapentti again with a forehand winner in the seventh game of the second set and stayed on top until sealing victory with a return winner on his second match point.
Guillermo Coria had earlier advertised his claycourt form and his status as a French Open favourite with a 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 win over Peru's Luis Horna.
Argentine Coria has won 28 matches in a row on the slow surface including all 13 he has played on it this season. The last time the 22-year-old lost on clay was his semi-final defeat at last year's French Open.
The defending champion and second seed in Hamburg, Coria has been nursing an abdominal injury and is playing his first tournament since winning the Monte Carlo Masters last month.
Against Horna, whom he has now beaten five times in as many meetings, he showed his character in the decisive moments of a tight contest featuring exciting rallies.
HEWITT COMEBACK
Former world number one Lleyton Hewitt, who followed Coria on centre court, staged a remarkable comeback to oust local favourite Tommy Haas 6-4, 7-5.
Australian Hewitt trailed 5-1 in the second set but then won six games in a row, surviving nine set points along the way, to seal victory.
"I just tried to weather the storm and use my chances when they came," said Hewitt. "He (Haas) can play unbelievable tennis but he can also play some sloppy games."
There was some consolation for the home fans when German wild card Florian Mayer knocked out 2001 champion Albert Portas of Spain 6-3, 6-4.
Former French Open champion Carlos Moya, the winner of last week's Rome Masters, qualified easily with 6-2, 6-3 win over fellow Spaniard Alberto Martin.
Britain's Tim Henman, feeling unwell, made an early exit when he was crushed 6-2, 6-2 by Romanian Andrei Pavel.
Seeded five but not a claycourt specialist, Henman was denied the comfort of Hamburg's covered centre court and had to play on an outside court on another cold and rainy day.
"You don't want to play an individual sport in these conditions when you're not feeling 100 percent well," he said.
"I think it's a bug of some sort, probably nothing serious. Now I need to rest and make sure I feel fresh for the French Open."
