KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. (AP) Two-time champion Roger Federer has won his opening match at the Sony Ericsson Open.
Federer needed barely an hour Saturday to beat Radek Stepanek 6-3, 6-3. The victory was the 762nd for Federer, which ties him with Pete Sampras for seventh place in the Open era.
Federer slipped from second to third in the world rankings after losing to Novak Djokovic last week in the semifinals at Indian Wells.
This year Federer is 19-3, with all three losses to Djokovic. They could meet in the final next Sunday.
Federer won Key Biscayne in 2005 and 2006. He faced only one break point against Stepanek and has won 18 consecutive sets from the Czech.