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Nadal continues winning ways on grass

Rafael Nadal shown after winning the French Open championship Monday, won his first grass-court match of the season Thursday in straight sets at the Gerry Weber Open in Germany. UPI/David Silpa
Rafael Nadal shown after winning the French Open championship Monday, won his first grass-court match of the season Thursday in straight sets at the Gerry Weber Open in Germany. UPI/David Silpa | License Photo

HALLE, Germany, June 14 (UPI) -- Rafael Nadal, three days removed from his record seventh French Open title, picked up a straight-set win Thursday at the Gerry Weber Open in Germany.

Nadal, No. 2 in the world, finished off his seventh French Open championship Monday on the clay courts at Roland Garros and made the switch to grass courts Thursday with a 7-5, 6-1 second-round decision over Lukas Lacko.

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The Spaniard solved Lacko's serve for the first time in the 12th game of the first set and dominated the second set, winning 70 percent of the points overall. He won 10-of-17 points when receiving serve in the second set.

World No. 3 Roger Federer also opened his Gerry Weber play Thursday, using late breaks in each set for a 6-4, 7-5 win over Florian Mayer. Federer had 11 aces and saw only one break point.

Local wild-card entrant Tommy Haas defeated sixth-seeded Marcel Granollers 6-3, 6-4 and No. 8-seeded Philipp Kohlschreiber, the defending Weber champion, topped Lukasz Kubot 6-7 (5-7), 6-1, 6-3 in Thursday's other matches.

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Kohlschreiber's win earned him a quarterfinal spot opposite Nadal, while Federer next plays fifth-seeded Milos Raonic.

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