KOOYONG KLASSIC

 

World number two Roger Federer made a winning return to the Kooyong Classic on Wednesday with an easy 6-2 6-3 victory over Spain's Carlos Moya.

Federer, a perennial visitor to the suburban Melbourne club that hosts the eight-man invitational tournament, was a late withdrawal from the event last year with glandular fever.

The 13-times grand slam winner uses the tournament to fine-tune his Australian Open preparations and, despite the encounter lasting just 57 minutes, he said the match had been beneficial for his Melbourne Park campaign.

"I'm getting used to the conditions here and the way the ball flies -- much more than it did in the past few weeks," Federer told reporters. "I'm trying a few things here and there (and) taking a few chances.

"Its more about getting used to the conditions and getting my footwork right, getting used to the bounce and seeing how high it is and the way (the ball) spins and reacts to the court.

"There was a bit of rust in the beginning and I missed a few forehands (but) I thought it was good match overall."

Federer will meet next meet Fernando Verdasco in the progression-relegation tournament after the Spaniard beat Croatia's Marin Cilic 6-2 7-5.

By Greg Stutchbury

MELBOURNE, Jan 14 (Reuters)