Federer claims 71st title in Netherlands

ROTTERDAM, Netherlands - Roger Federer dismissed third-seeded Juan Martin del Potro 6-1, 6-4 Sunday to win the ABN Amro World Tennis for his first title of the year.

The top-seeded Federer jumped into to a 5-0 lead in the first set as Del Potro made an uncharacteristically error-prone start. The Argentine, who beat Federer in the 2009 U.S. Open final, took a 2-1 lead in the second set before the Swiss star won five of the next seven games to close out the match.

“For me it all began in 1999 when I reached the quarterfinals here,’’ Federer said. “Even now, the expectations were high throughout the tournament. I am happy I was able to fulfill the expectations.’’

Federer, who made his first appearance in Rotterdam since winning the 2005 title, saved all seven break points he faced in the match, while breaking Del Potro three times.

Del Potro won just seven points on his serve in the first set. While his game improved in the second, he couldn’t find a way to beat Federer on the key points. The former top-ranked Swiss player took a 4-2 lead before serving out the match to claim his 71st career title. AP