It was easy for Federer in the first set of the match, where he outplayed Llodra and did not lose many points. The set lasted for a mere 17 minutes. It was a set, where he could do nothing wrong, as he was looking promising with both the backhand and the forehand shots, along with his deft touches. The crowd seated expected the match to be over soon, but Llodra was a different player altogether in the second set.

The French player was in a different mood when he walked onto the court for the second set. He was eager to provide a stiff competition to Swiss ace and so was the case. He, in fact put up a big fight, succumbing to Federer in the tie breaker (8-6). The Swiss would be facing Spaniard Felicano Lopez, who beat a French player, Nicolas Mahut 6-4, 6-4 to reach the second round of the competition, reported rediff.com.

Roger Federer is one of the favourites for the title as he has been in good form in the recent past. He also won the last tournament he participated in, ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament at Netherlands. He defeated Del Potro in straight sets in the finals - 6-1 and 6-4. Many of his fans in Dubai want him to win this competition as well. He has to be at his best to win back to back titles.

Other top players of the competition such as Andy Murray, Jo Tsonga and Tomas Berdych have also progressed into the competition. The competition is going to get serious in the latter half, when the top players of the circuit clash. Hence, it is very important for these players to get into a good momentum and peak at the right time for their vital clashes.