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Tsonga into second round of German ATP event

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga needed just over an hour to reach the second round of Halle's ATP tournament when he beat compatriot Fabrice Santoro 7-5, 6-2 on Tuesday.

The 24-year-old Frenchman, ranked ninth in the world, is making his tournament debut, but had few problems in the straight sets victory against the 36-year-old Santoro who is retiring at the end of the season.

Tsonga faces a harder second round match against former world number two Tommy Haas after the German took Roger Federer to five sets in the fourth round at Roland Garros last week.

And local favourite Mischa Zverev also booked his passage into the second round with a straight sets victory over Australia's Joseph Sirianni when he served out a 6-2, 6-4 victory.

Zverev will now play 2007 Halle champion Tomas Berdych in the next round.

Meanwhile, tournament organisers here are still waiting to hear whether world number two Federer will play here after last week's historic French Open success.

Federer beat Sweden's Robin Soderling in Sunday's final at Roland Garros to win the last of the Grand Slam titles to evade him.

But he has told the organisers of this week's ATP tournament in Halle he will only decide whether he will come on Tuesday.

The Swiss master is by far the biggest draw-card here as the defending champion has won the tournament five times and only his withdrawal in 2007, from fatigue, broke his winning run since his first triumph in 2003.

Wimbledon begins on June 22 and Federer, who lost to Rafael Nadal in last year's final, traditionally uses the Halle tournament to prepare for the only grass-court Grand Slam tournament.