Istanbul, Turkey (SportsNetwork.com) - Swiss icon Roger Federer posted a second-round victory Wednesday at the inaugural Istanbul Open.
The top-seeded former world No. 1 improved to 15-0 lifetime against Finnish veteran Jarkko Nieminen with a 6-2, 7-5 decision on the red clay at Koza World of Sports Arena.
The 33-year-old Federer is seeking his third title of 2015, having reached three finals, including victories in Brisbane and Dubai.
Up next for the Wimbledon runner-up Federer will be in-form Spaniard Daniel Gimeno-Traver, who upset sixth-seeded Mikhail Kukushkin of Kazakhstan 6-3, 6-3. Gimeno-Traver was a runner-up in Casablanca earlier this month.
In other action on Day 3 in Istanbul, fourth-seeded Colombian Santiago Giraldo topped Russian wild card Andrey Rublev 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 and eighth-seeded Argentine Diego Schwartzman whipped Austrian veteran Jurgen Melzer 6-0, 6-2. Giraldo will face Schwartzman on Friday.
On Thursday, second-seeded Bulgarian star Grigor Dimitrov will open his week against Kazakhstan's Andrey Golubev.
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