Federer and Roddick advance in Rome

Roger Federer and Andy Roddick eased into the third round of the Rome Masters with comfortable straight-sets wins.

Top-seeded Federer progressed with a 6-3 6-3 win over Argentina's Guillermo Canas, while the day's only other second-round match saw sixth-seeded American Roddick cruise past compatriot Mardy Fish by a 6-1 6-4 scoreline.

One of the top eight seeds to receive a first-round bye, Federer's opening match came against one of the few players to own a winning record against the Swiss world number one.

With Tuesday's triumph, Federer improved to 3-3 all-time against Canas, who had won two of their last three encounters.

A finalist here in 2003 and 2006, Federer is seeking his first title at this event, won by world number two Rafael Nadal each of the last three years. Federer also reached the third round here last season, but was upset by Filippo Volandri.

'I am very happy with my performance,' Federer said after his match with Canas.

'I had a couple of tough ones against him last year but this was our first meeting on clay and I'm very happy with the way I played.'

Making his first clay court appearance this season, Roddick improved to 8-1 in career meetings against Fish.

In one of 10 first-round matches on Tuesday, Juan Carlos Ferrero rallied for a 6-7 (5/7) 6-3 6-4 triumph over Germany's Nicolas Kiefer.

The Spaniard's reward is a second-round match with Nadal, who is 17-0 at this event and has won 103 of his last 104 clay-court matches overall.

Unable to move on was 10th-seeded Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who fell to compatriot Gilles Simon, 6-2 4-6 7-6 (8/6).

A runner-up at the Australian Open, Tsonga had been sidelined for the past six weeks with a knee injury.

Prior to win by Simon, Spain's Fernando Verdasco produced a big as he ousted countryman and 11th seed Carlos Moya, 6-3 6-4.

Others moving through to the second round were 12th seed Fernando Gonzalez and number 14 seed Tommy Robredo.