No walk in the park for Federer as he pursues 14th Grand Slam

MELBOURNE: Roger Federer took the first step toward his record-tying 14th Grand Slam title with a 6-1, 7-6 (4), 7-5 victory yesterday over Andreas Seppi at the Australian Open.

Federer, seeking to match Pete Sampras' mark, was at his best on the big points on the opening day as almost all of the favorites avoided upsets. But it rarely was easy for even the top players in the year's first Grand Slam.

"He is a very tough customer, he played really well," Federer said of the 35th-ranked Seppi. "I think I played well, too. I had to."