World number one Roger Federer survived a tough opening match at the Dubai Tennis Championships against fellow Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka on Tuesday to advance to the second round. The three-time defending champion faced a tough challenge from his Davis Cup teammate as the first set went with serve until Federer grabbed the tiebreak 7-3 after committing 17 unforced errors. A peculiar second set witnessed seven service breaks as the Swiss players alternated breaks for the first four games before Federer edged to a 4-2 lead. Wawrinka, ranked 54 in the world, tried to level the set as he broke Federer's serve again to narrow the score 3-4 however the seven-time Grand Slam champion finally prevailed to seal a 7-6, 6-3 victory.
Marat Safin The 24-year-old star next takes on Kuwaiti wild card Mohammed Al Ghareeb, who defeated Omar Bahrouzyan of the United Arab Emirates. Earlier on Tuesday, Marat Safin made an impressive return from a six-month injury layoff, as he ousted his Russian compatriot and the tournament's number three seed, Nikolay Davydenko 4-6, 6-2, 6-2. The former US and Australian Open champion, whose ranking had slipped to 53 in the world, was playing his first match since the Cincinnati Masters last August. Safin's second round opponent will be Belgium's Olivier Rochus, who beat Fabrice Santoro in the first round on Monday. Other Tuesday winners include seventh-seeded Radek Stepanek, eighth-seeded Tomas Berdych, Morocco's Younes El Ayaoui and Russia's Mikhail Youzhny, who stunned sixth-seeded Dominik Hrbaty.
