Federer wins in the Netherlands

Federer is warming up for Wimbledon on the grass at Rosmalen Keystone

Switzerland's Roger Federer is through to the second round of the $400,000 ATP tournament in Rosmalen in the Netherlands, after defeating France's Anthony Dupuis 7-6, 6-4.

Federer never found himself in any trouble against Dupuis, making 67 per cent of his first serves and easing through the first set tiebreak, 7-3.

The 19-year-old Swiss, who is seeded fourth for the tournament, broke Dupuis in the first game of the second set on his way to his second victory in two meetings against the Frenchman.

There was also good news for the Switzerland’s Yves Allegro, ranked 309 in the world, who won the first ATP match of his career.

Allegro, who came through the qualifying rounds in Rosmalen, beat the Australian Andrew Ilie, ranked 65 in the world, 6-7, 6-1, 6-1. Allegro, who hails from Basel, showed remarkable mental strength to battle back and win the match after losing the first set 9-11 in the tiebreak.

However Switzerland’s Marc Rosset is out of Britain’s Nottingham Open, losing to Andy Roddick of the United States 7-6, 5-7, 4-6.

Meanwhile, the draw for next week’s Wimbledon Championships has been announced with Federer, seeded 15th, set to face Belgium’s Christophe Rochus in the first round.

Ahead of him lie potential clashes with the number 18 seed, Sweden’s Magnus Norman, and a mouth-watering tie against the seven-times champion, Pete Sampras. Federer has yet to win a match at Wimbledon since winning the junior title in 1998.

Rosset finds himself drawn against Sweden’s Magnus Norman, while his compatriot, Michel Kratochvil, faces the number nine seed, France’s in-form Sebastien Grosjean.

In the women’s draw, world number one Martina Hingis, who has not won a Grand Slam since the 1999 Australian Open, will be hoping for a change of fortunes when she sets foot on the Wimbledon grass next week.

The number one seed and joint bookies’ favourite with last year’s winner, the American Venus Williams, Hingis has endured a series of painful defeats this year at the hands of some of her bigger-hitting rivals.

The 20-year-old has suffered most heavily at the hands of a rejuvenated Jennifer Capriati, losing to the powerful American in the finals in Charleston, as well as in the Australian Open and in the semifinals of the French Open.

Hingis, who won Wimbledon in 1997, also came unstuck at the Italian and German opens against the big-hitting Amélie Mauresmo of France.

Fortunately for the Swiss, who is drawn against Spain’s Virginia Ruano Pascal in the first round, she is not scheduled to meet either of her “bêtes noires” until the latter stages of this year’s Wimbledon Championships.

Russia’s Lina Krasnoroutskaya, who is coached by Hingis’ mother, Melanie Molitor, could be her second round opponent.

Elsewhere in the draw, Patty Schnyder, seeded 30th, faces Canada’s Jana Nejedly; Miroslava Vavrinec meets America’ Amy Frazier, seeded 20th; and Emmanuelle Gagliardi is up against Britain’s Lucie Ahl.

swissinfo with agencies