Tennis: Federer goes down to Hass

Germany's Tommy Haas upset world tennis No 1 Roger Federer in the opening match of the invitational Kooyong Classic yesterday, ending the Swiss player's chances of defending the title.

Haas, 26, broke Federer twice in the third set and had opportunities to break again before he served out the final game to run out a 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 winner.

Federer appeared to struggle with his timing throughout the match, hitting several forehands either long or wide, while Haas scrambled for nearly every point, often producing spectacular running passing shots.

The eight-player tournament is one of the traditional warm-up events for the Australian Open starting in Melbourne on Monday.