Federer beats Pless in Dubai

Dubai:

Roger Federer beat Kristian Pless in the first round of the Dubai Tennis Championships on Monday. The match was played on the day the Swiss superstar broke Jimmy Connors' 30-year-old mark with his 161st week at the top of ATP rankings. Federer has been ranked number one since February 2, 2004. He has also won six of the last seven Grand Slam titles. But he hasn't played since beating Fernando Gonzalez in the Australian Open final on January 28. Federer enjoyed an unblemished record at the Australian Open in Melbourne, where he notched his 10th Grand Slam title without dropping a set. But having been inactive since winning Down Under, the Swiss looked off colour against Pless, world ranked at 86. He limped his way through the first set, dropped the second before coming good late on to seal a 7-6, 3-6, 6-3 victory.