Kohlschreiber has a lot going for him.  He hits hard off the ground.  Last year, he waxes Andy Murray.  But this year, he drew Roger Federer.  Murray didn’t grow up on clay.  Federer did.  Murray was in the doldrums wah-ing his way to a lopsided loss that eventually energized him to play better.  Federer has been playing well since the fall.  His mental resolve tougher than ever.

Kohlschreiber’s big weakness is his serve.  He is a relatively short guy.  Without a huge serve, Federer simply has to play tough returns and go for his usual play.  Whatever his struggles against Nadal and Djokovic, Federer is playing great tennis and he beats players like Kohlschreiber, no problem.

Final score: 6-2, 6-1.

Simon had an easy time over Brazilian, Thomaz Bellucci.  Feliciano Lopez needed a third-set tiebreak to beat Janko Tipsarevic.