Federer starts with a bang

Roger Federer kicked off his 16th consecutive French Open with a 6-2, 6-4, 6-2 win over Slovakia’s Lukas Lacko on Sunday, his first victory since becoming a father of twins for the second time.

The 32-year-old Swiss, who won his only Paris title in 2009, was watched by wife Mirka and older twins Myla and Charlene but not three-week old Lenny and Leo.

Sunday’s triumph was also his 59th at Roland Garros, tying eight-time champion Rafael Nadal as the tournament’s win specialist.

Federer was never troubled by Lacko, the World No 88 who has not won a claycourt match for three years.

Breaks in the fifth and seventh games of the opening set followed by another in the third game of the second put the 17-time Major winner in total control.

Federer broke again in the first and fifth games of the third set against the hapless Lacko to seal victory in just 84 minutes, a performance highlighted by 40 winners.

Federer goes on to face either Portugal’s Gastao Elias or Diego Sebastian Schwartzman of Argentina for a place in the last 32.

Federer was joined in the second round by big-serving Canadian eighth seed Milos Raonic who unleashed 27 aces in his 6-3, 7-6 (7-1), 6-3 win over teenage Australian wildcard Nick Kyrgios.

Raonic, a semifinalist in Rome and who made the last eight in Madrid, goes on to face either Lukas Rosol or Jiri Vesely, Czech Davis Cup team-mates, in the next round.

Russian 15th seed Mikhail Youzhny needed five sets to see off Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta, 3-6, 1-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-0.

World number one Serena Williams huffed and puffed into the second round of the women’s event with a 6-2, 6-1 win over local favourite Alize Lim.

The defending champion sprayed court Philippe Chatrier with unforced errors in a match that was not as one-sided as the score line suggested.

Williams was so confident she would crush her training partner that she warmed up for the encounter wearing a blazer suit, but Lim proved to be a tenacious opponent despite her ranking of 138.

In the opening set, Lim claimed 27 points but surprisingly 23 of those came thanks to Williams's erratic unforced errors.

Polish third seed Agnieszka Radwanska carved out a 6-3, 6-0 win over China’s Zhang Shuai, the world number 34.

Radwanska, a quarterfinalist in 2013, will face either French wildcard Mathilde Johansson or Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic for a spot in the last 32.

Somdev exits

Somdev Devvarman failed to cross the first round hurdle as he waged a tough fight before losing to Aleksandr Nedovyesov.

The unseeded Indian, ranked six places above his Kazakshatan rival at 93, fought for three hours and 13 minutes but ended up on the wrong side of the result, 7-5, 3-6, 6-7 (4-7), 3-6. At Australian Open also, Somdev had made a first round exit.

He has never gone beyond the second rounds at Grand Slam events.