The ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam, Netherlands kicked off on Monday with several top-seeded tennis players competing for the chance to take home the Rotterdam Cup title. Returning champ Roger Federer (2) makes his debut in the 2013 tournament on Wednesday as he looks to reclaim his title. Meanwhile, last year's runner up Juan Martín del Portro (7) won his first match and moved on to the second round of the tournament.
Federer is scheduled to play against Slovenian player Grega Zemlja in the first round of the Rotterdam Cup this year. Zemlja, No. 64-seeded, will have a tough time against the top seeded Swiss player. He has lost six matches and only won two since starting the 2013 season and unlike Federer has never won any titles.
For Federer, this matchup should come easy to him. The No. 2-seeded player has had a pretty decent start to the 2013 season, with five wins and only one loss. The veteran player has won more than 75 titles in his lifetime and his status as returning champ gives him the definite edge in this first matchup.
Also playing in the Rotterdam Cup is Federer's 2012 finals opponent, Argentine Juan Martín del Potro. The No. 7-seeded player won his first match against French player Gael Monfils (No. 107-seeded) in two sets, 6-3 and 6-4, on Tuesday to reach the second round of the tournament.
Fellow top seeded player, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (No. 8-seeded) from France, lost his first round match against Dutch player Igor Sijsling (No. 77-seeded) in three hard-fought matches, 6(3)-7(7), 6-4 and 4-6, on Monday. The win came as a surprise but was lauded by the Frenchman. "He played and served well. He was good on the big points and took his chances. That's it," Tsonga told reporters. "I didn't play too bad. The last game was not good, since I was broken for the first time in the match."
The ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament, which began on Monday, February 11, is scheduled to conclude on Sunday, February 17. Federer will face off against Zemlja at 1:30 p.m. EST.