NEW YORK // The five-time US Open champion Roger Federer says that "winning is "the only thing, really" after he reached the second round last night, beating Colombian Santiago Giraldo 6-4, 6-3, 6-2.
"I don't care how I do it," he said. "It doesn't need to be pretty. I don't think I've ever played my very, very best in the first round."
Federer, owner of 16 major titles, equalled Andre Agassi for the second-most grand slam match victories in the Open Era with his 224th — nine fewer than Jimmy Connors.
The Swiss great was not at his sharpest, dropping his serve three times and making 35 unforced errors.
Even so, the outcome against the 54th-ranked Giraldo — who has never beaten a top-10 player — was never in doubt.
That was all that mattered to Federer, who told the crowd afterwards that winning is "the only thing, really".
The No 3 seed Swiss needed one hour and 16 minutes under the lights on the Arthur Ashe stadium court to advance to a second round clash with Israel's Dudi Sela, who beat Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci 4-6, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-0.
Federer, who turned 30 earlier this month, is trying to win his first grand slam title since the 2010 Australian Open and keep alive his streak of eight straight seasons with at least one major crown.
Early winners in the men's draw included No 7 Gael Monfils of France; No 8 Mardy Fish of the United States, who beat Tobias Kamke of Germany 6-2, 6-2, 6-1; No 9 Tomas Berdych of Germany, the 2010 Wimbledon runner-up; No 13 Richard Gasquet of France; No 22 Alexandr Dolgopolov of Ukraine; and No 27 Marin Cilic of Croatia.
