German veteran Tommy Haas has advanced to the second round of the Mercedes Cup in Stuttgart with a 6-3 4-6 7-5 win over Pierre-Hugues Herbert to book a farewell tour match with top seed Roger Federer.
The duo have played some exciting matches on grass over the years with 35-year-old Federer holding a 4-1 edge over 39-year-old Haas on the surface.
“We’ve had a lot of great battles in the past,” said Haas, whose one victory over Federer on grass came in the Halle final of 2012.
“The next match excites me, but I’ll have to play better than today … I’m a very happy person, I’m pleased with this result.”
Federer and Haas had practised together earlier in the week in a promotional appearance for the tournament.
Also recording wins were grasscourt specialist Feliciano Lopez, who sent French seventh seed Giilles Simon out 6-3 6-3 and Benoit Paire, who upset eighth seed Viktor Troicki 6-4 6-4.
Australia’s Bernard Tomic beat Stephane Robert in three sets to set up a second-round meeting with No.3 seed Tomas Berdych.
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